Hi everyone! After a great year (if I do say so myself!) of being MT's Secretary, I'm now running for President. Being on the committee has given me an insight into how best to run a society and I'd love to be MT's 2022/23 President! I'm very dedicated to this society so you can trust that I will put a lot of time, effort and love into this role. I want this position because this society means a lot to me and has really helped me come out of my shell and make the most of my time at university.
I know that at times being a member of musical theatre can be stressful - there is a lot of work to put in and it takes up a sizeable amount of your spare time. This is why I'd like to set up a mental health check-in system where members can - anonymously if they wish - talk about any issues they're having within the society and be open about any mental health struggles they’re facing. In addition to this, I would like to hold regular destress events to take a step back from the hard work and relax as to not to cause anyone to burn out. I would also like to introduce a member of the month scheme to reward the hard work of our members. A lot of societies and clubs already do this, and I feel it would benefit our members as it would be motivational and let them know that their hard work has been noticed and that they are an asset to society.
Furthermore, I would like to set boundaries within the committee to ensure that there is a clear line between professional and personal. This will ensure that any personal conflicts between don’t get brought into sessions and take time away from rehearsals. I plan to do this by setting time frames for committee discussions so committee members have time to ‘switch off’ and set aside their responsibilities. This is to ensure that they can still enjoy their time as a member of the society and not just feel like they’re working.
There are several aspects of the society that could be improved on – one of which being connections with other societies and sports clubs. These connections would result in the chance to meet more people and make new friends (which would be especially beneficial to freshers and new members) and also increase the number of people that buy tickets to our events. I aim to make these connections by reaching out to more societies and sports clubs to host joint socials and events (then of course passing the actual organisation onto our social sec!). Another thing that could be improved is the amount that we do for charity. Whilst this would be good for raising money for a worthy cause, it would also give members more opportunities to perform and get more for their money! I have some ideas for these events, including a Disney themed show in aid of a children’s charity and an old- school musical themed show in aid of a charity such as Time to Talk Befriending that is helping to fight loneliness among older people.
In the past, the society has performed at events outside of their own (such as performing at the Union’s Education Awards and performing in the Intu shopping centre). I would like to make connections to perform at events like this again. Not only does it give the society some exposure, but it also acts as an opportunity for our members to perform in public and get some extra stage time. I aim to achieve this by reaching out to event organisers and making them aware of the society’s availability to perform.
Key manifesto points:
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Mental Health check-ins for member wellbeing
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Starting a Member of the Month scheme
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Setting committee boundaries
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Build connections with other societies and clubs
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Host more charity events
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Perform at external events
Thank you for taking the time to read my manifesto! I hope to be your President next year :)