Make real change happen

Do you want to make change in your community on important issues of social justice?

Do you want to campaign collaboratively with external, community-based organisations on the current social challenges that we face?

Do you want to come together as a student community to address the issues you're confronted with?

Our Democracy in Action module, run with Citizens UK, gives students from across the University the opportunity to work with community organisations and Essex local authorities to identify needs and issues and to construct strategies and alliances to address them through community organising.

You will receive training in community organising, and learn about power relations, developing strategies, organising public events, and so much more.

You will bring the action to powerholders to make changes in the community!

Current campaigns aim to:

• improve safety for women and girls in Essex
• improve experiences of refugees and asylum seekers
• campaign on housing issues
• fight for the living wage for social care workers
• improve mental health support on campus
• identify solutions for the cost of living crisis
• take action on environmental issues

Quotes from students who have taken Democracy in Action

“I could be an active member of the Community in a way that I didn't think I could do, because I thought I'm just a student I'm 23 years old, why are they going to speak to me and they did they did speak to me… they were willing to listen to me and [it] kind of blew my mind, a little bit.”

“I would say that it’s been really life-changing, really amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone who cares about things and wants to make a change. I wish I could go back and do it all again because it’s been so amazing. Completely changed my belief in myself, my outlook on life, everything that I thought was impossible feels possible now and having a career in something I care about.”

“Without this I think I would have still been the same person who was angry about things and didn’t know where to start, didn’t have the tools, didn’t have the help, or the teachers or anything to able to do that. Such an important lesson in this module is that there has to be a plan to make change.”

The module

This is a 30-credit module that, dependent on your course, can be taken instead of your final-year capstone project.

To register your interest or find out more about this project, please contact democracyinaction@essex.ac.uk.

To apply for a place on this project-based module, please indicate in 300 words why you would like to take part, including how you see your current life and university experience connecting to the module. Please send this to democracyinaction@essex.ac.uk.

There are limited spaces so apply now! Applicants will be notified before the start of the Autumn term.