My thoughts and ideas this morning..

It is early morning and I have not been able to sleep for the past couple of hours so I thought: "What better time to update my blog?". A lot has been happening and the final preparations for Black History Month are on schedule. I have found leasing with people and organisations harder than what I had initially thought. Even when representing someone it doesn't necessarily mean that I will have their support. On a very positive note however, I have received lots of enthusiastic support by a few people here and there: I have had a couple of meetings with someone, who's name I won't reveal just yet, and this person may very well become a member of my subcommittee *fingers crossed*. Another person has approached me through facebook, offering to help in anyway. Other people have come forward, offering to collaborate with my projects. The Hindu and Sikh societies' presidents seem particularly on board and together with the Afro Caribbean society and hopefully other societies I will be working on organising events and workshops to increase cultural education, representation and inclusivity on campus. Other people in offices and organisations within and outside the university. It is indeed rather difficult to have to do the job of a committee on my own for the moment, organising, leasing, planning, tweeting! and keeping up with my academic work. Nevertheless this is the first year we have the BME officer position and I am confident in my work to get the support and cooperation I need so that what is built this year is solid, durable and of quality standards. 
Some ideas I have planned for the year:

1. Photo Campaign on diversity of backgrounds: many people have a very rich and diverse heritage in their family tree, and I would like to show that we all have a different story, even when we are superficially classed in the same category.
2. CONTROVERSIAL TALKS: cultural fashion such as the Hijab, the existence of a black history month, the attainment gap.
3. Focus Group with Cultural Socs presidents: ask them to get feedback from their members on their experiences as students and take it from there.
4. CULTURAL SKILL-SHARE workshops, were people can come and learn traditional customs of whatever culture will be, and where we can embrace our cultures.
5. EXTENDING THE MARKET TO AFRO-CARIBBEAN SUPPLIERS
6. Finding a way to make it compulsory that lecturers include BME contributions in their lectures during Black History Month
7. Organise TRIPS TO CONFERENCES, EVENTS and INVITE EXTERNAL organisations to inspire, address and discuss issues, hold careers advice workshops and such.

So it's now time for me to run to my lecture, an I won't have time to proof read this, so be merciful if I made any typos or grammar errors!
Will keep you posted on the developments for the BHM events!