After weeks of planning, preparation and a little help from UNA-UK, UNA Youth branches kick started their year in style.
Freshers’ fair occurs during the early weeks of the academic year to provide a platform for different societies to attract new members and inform students of their activities.
As with previous years, UNA-UK produced and distributed a freshers’ fair pack to help UNA Youth branches maximise their exposure on campus and attract as many new students as possible.
This year the pack included hundreds of balloons and flags and a great Security Council quiz to help spark conversation with other students. For the first time, UNA-UK also produced a video which included tips on how to use the materials to set up a stunning stall and engage passers-by.
As part of the fun, branches also entered a competition to win an exclusive afternoon tea with Sir Jeremy Greenstock - Chairman of UNA-UK and former UK ambassador to the UN. Branches had the opportunity to enter three separate categories of the competition: most sign ups; most creative stall and the greatest online presence.
Competition was intense and entries were of a high standard with some branches getting over 600 sign-ups. The winners are: most creative stall – Kingston UNA Youth; most sign-ups – UCL UNA Youth and greatest online presence – Manchester UNA Youth
Feedback on the freshers’ fair project has shown the positive impact that this support has had on UNA Youth branches. Rahim Lakhani of SOAS UNA Youth society said “I’m sure we had the best stall at our fair, I have to say thank you very much for your help”. UNA Youth Council member, Kate Jamieson, added “the pack and the video all helped UNA Youth make the most of their freshers’ fair.
With such a great start, the challenge now is to keep up the momentum for UNA Youth. Look out for more information about the Youth Conference and the UN Forum 2014.
