My  Motivation  for  Running!  Friends  and  future  friends,  my  name   is   Johann   Barbé,   I   am   in  my   third   year   studying  Geography   and  African   Studies.  I   am   writing   to   you   today  because   I   would   LOVE   to   be  your   Co-­‐President   of   Activities  and  Events  next  year.    These  three  years  at  SOAS  have  been   the   best   three   years   of  my  life;  this  is  hugely  due  to  the  people   I  have  met  as  well  as   to  the   diversity   and   uniqueness  of  SOAS  and  its  events.    I   have   enjoyed   and   learned   so  much   from   being   here   and   I  want   make   your   experience  as   good,   and   even  better   than  my  own.      

Benefits  of  my  Experience  •  Having  lived  in  the  Ivory  Coast,  Madagascar,  Belgium  and  the  UK   has   helped   me   to   become   more   familiar   with   different  cultures   and   therefore   different   people,   making   me   an  approachable  and  welcoming  person.    •  As  captain  of  the  Rugby  Team  and  recently  founder  of  the  Reggae   Society,   I   have   learned   how   to  manage,  while   having  fun,   different   groups   of   people   and   increased   my   knowledge  about   leagues,   dealing   with/increasing   the   budget,   being   in  touch  with  other  universities  and  organizing  events!  •   Although   I   value   the   importance   of   academic   studies,   I  strongly  believe  in  “Work  Hard,  Play  Hard”!  I  am  a  very  hard  worker   and   also   always   ready   to   find   more   entertaining  activities   -­‐   especially   in   London.   All   you   need   is   a   good  organisation!          

JOHANN BARBÉ #1 ACTIVITIES & EVENTS  

My  aims  as  Co-­President  of  Activities  and  Events  I  believe  that,  to  have  a  voice  in  London  and  the  UK,  SOAS  needs  to  firstly  become  more  reliable  and  united  under  the  same  banner!  Unity  will  come  from  a  good  relationship  between  the  Union  and  the  students,  and  this  is  what  I  propose:    United  and  Reliable  Within  SOAS:  1)  Improve  the  visibility  of  societies,  events  and  sports  teams  by:    •  Improving  the  efficiency  of  the  website  (i.e.  include  all  events  in  a  calendar,  description  of  societies)  by  creating  a  NEW  POSITION  in  the  part  time  job  officers.    •  SOAS  shows/festivals  including  dance,  music  and  political/informative  societies.  2)  Have  a  plan  ready  before  first  term  starts  (fresher’s  fayre  and  term  events).  3)  Raise  awareness  on  the  easiness  of  joining,  running  and  even  creating  societies  and  sports  teams.  4)  Help  societies  and  sport  teams  to  find  a  sponsor  (corporate  if  possible)  and  adequate  budget  (for  material  appropriate  to  societies).  5)  Improve  the  accessibility  to  sport  facilities;  have  training  grounds  in  London!  6)  Ensure  that  all  sports  teams  are  recognized  in  a  league  and  promoted.  7)  Link  courses/lecturers/staff  to  societies,  events  and  sports  teams.  8)  Unite  societies  and  sports  teams  through  joint  events  and  meetings  with  their  presidents.  9)  Maintain  standards  and  aims  set  by  current  Union  members  (most  related  to  Events  and  Activities).    

SOAS’  Voice  and  Connection  Outside!  10)  Promote  SOAS’  activities  and  events  to  other  universities  and  encourage  societies  to  do  so.  11)  Raise  awareness  on  SOAS’  struggle  against  cuts  through  different  activities  such  as  the  Carnival  of  Resistance  and  regular  talks  with  the  help  of  the  Anti-­‐Cuts  group.  AND  FIGHT  TOGETHER!  12)  Establish  connections  with  lifestyle  magazines  and  websites  promoting  events  and  places  to  visit,  eat  and  gather  in  groups  such  as  Time  Out,  Top  Table,  Yplan  (application)  VoucherCloud,  Student  Beans  and  many  more!