Students continue to make waves of change in the community

Essex students are continuing to make change to issues that matter to fellow students and to the community on our pioneering course, Democracy in Action.

Now in its fourth year, the campaigning module on community organising offers students in their last year of undergraduate study the chance to make real change.

A collaboration between the University and Citizens UK, the course teaches students valuable skills and gives them the chance to put theory into practice. Each year, groups of students work on different campaigns.

This year, there has been a total of ten projects, the biggest number so far, which have included some focused on the wider community, some which are important to students on campus, and others which impact both the University and the wider community.

Director of Democracy in Action, Dr Rebecca Warren, is proud of the work the students are achieving on the course.

“After four years of working on this project we have now seen just under 130 students take the module and engage in the community organising training and campaigns,” she said. “The course is growing each year, and we are so proud of what our students are achieving through this positive, engaging, and hands-on experience.

“The work we do focuses on encouraging all of us to realise our own power, coming together in solidarity to make the changes that we know can be made.”

This academic year, out in the wider community, students have made things safer by improving street lighting, they have researched housing and homelessness, and have been working on the living wage campaign striving for Colchester to become a living wage city.

Closer to home, they have been campaigning for: British Sign Language Level 2 to be included in the university’s Languages For All programme; for the University’s Nightline service to come back into operation; and also looked at the impact of the Students’ Union (SU) bringing back the University’s Night Bus. Nightline, a confidential listening service run by students for students from the hours of 10pm until 8am during term time, was suspended during the COVID pandemic.

The Night Bus, a late-night transport service, which the SU has been campaigning to reinstate for the last three years, has, with support from the students on Democracy in Action, secured funding to return for the next academic year.

Other campus-related concerns included whether or not the Colchester Campus should become a vegan one, in recognition of the vegan campus movement which is happening across the country, and research in relation to the work that the University currently does with BAE systems – in particular, students were requesting transparency regarding the relationship between BAE Systems and other weapon manufacturers.

Two campaigns which were started by students in previous cohorts were continued this year, both resulting in success. These were the migrant justice project, and a campaign to prevent violence against women and girls on campus. Students advocated for an Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (IVSA) to be based on-site – and were successful in securing funding from the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s office (PFCC) for this.

The migrant justice group, who also worked closely with the PFCC, successfully secured funding for a law champions project to deliver legal advice and support to migrants.

Criminology student, Virginia Carnabuci, who worked on the migrant justice project explained how the project evolved.

“At the beginning, our focus was looking at care worker visas, and exploitative lawyers and how it affects migrants. Throughout the year, we decided to shift our focus and look at the reasons behind international students going weekly to Food Banks in Colchester, specifically the one at Divine Assembly Ministry,” she said.

“We have worked with the SU at the University of Essex, Divine Assembly Ministry and the PFCC to tackle food instability and hate crime affecting international students and the wider community in Colchester.”

Democracy in Action played a big part in her final year of studies.

“The reason I studied this module was to put into practice all the skills learnt in previous years and to get involved with real life issues. It helped me to get more in contact with the community around me – I have never felt more part of my community as when joining Democracy in Action,” she said. “It left me feeling that change, when being surrounded by like-minded and driven people, is possible.”

Accounting and finance student, Gerardo Palmieri, who worked on the housing and homelessness campaign, said: “Studying Democracy in Action has been one of the most enlightening and impactful experiences of my life. The inspiration behind this study was my deep-seated desire to make a real change and hold power holders accountable. I’ve always believed in the power of democracy to create a fairer society, and I wanted to see it in action and contribute to its improvement.

“This course has not only expanded my understanding of community organising but also reinforced my commitment to social justice. The experiences and insights gained have been invaluable, shaping my future endeavours in advocacy and policymaking. I hope my journey inspires others to take on similar projects and make a difference in their communities.”