Manifesto Points:
1 . Launch the “Voice of Campus” street interview column to ensure every student’s voice is heard, and enhance social media presence and multilingual promotion.
2. Optimize orientation week and buddy programs, hosting cultural exchange events.
3. Enhance existing activities like Give It A Go by introducing more student-favorite programs, boosting participation and inclusivity.
As an international student, I have deeply experienced the information barriers and cultural differences that international students may face when integrating into campus life.
I believe that the time spent by every international student studying and living in the UK is extremely precious, and these moments will become unforgettable memories for them, and will shape their future career and life trajectory. According to my research, many international students are very eager to build friendships with local students, participate in many campus activities, integrate into the wider campus community, and experience university life to the fullest. However, the reality is that this connection is often difficult to achieve, resulting in some students feeling helpless, isolated, and alienated.
I believe that university life is not just about academic achievements; it should also be filled with meaningful interactions, cultural exchanges, and personal growth. To be honest, York University offers a wide range of campus activities. However, from my observations and surveys, many international students miss out on these events due to cultural differences, language barriers, or insufficient publicity, lacking relevant information.
I hope that through the professional knowledge I have learned, I will strengthen the promotion of the event, optimize the channels for international students to participate, and help them create beautiful and fulfilling memories that will become important support for them to face life challenges in the future.
If I am elected, I will work hard to improve the way I promote my off-campus activities, increase the participation of international students, and help local students who want to learn about other cultures. I am committed to enabling every student, regardless of background, to fully enjoy and be part of this vibrant campus.
My core proposition
1. Enhance international students’ interaction with local organizations
International students are an important part of the cultural diversity on campus, but many are unable to fully integrate into campus due to language barriers and social difficulties. To address this, I will:
1）Expand International Students’ Welcome Week to include cultural exchange days, bilingual club activities and other interactive sessions to provide more opportunities for international students to interact with local students.
2）Strengthen the Global Community Program to encourage more local students to participate and promote in-depth cultural exchange through events such as the Global Food Festival and International Movie Nights.
3）Optimising the Buddy Scheme and improving the matching mechanism to ensure that international students are able to meet and build strong local friendships.
2. Expand campus interaction and social activities
To enhance students’ sense of belonging and make their voices heard, I plan to:
1) Launched the “Campus Voices” interview series, which regularly collects students’ feedback on campus activities, and makes a regular column to post on social media, and regularly reports suggestions for improvement to YUSU and the school management.
2) Optimize YUSU Media’s Promotion Strategy to increase the visibility of event information through social media, short videos, anonymous message boards, and email pushes.
3) Create an International Student Information Channel to provide multilingual version of event information to ensure that international students can obtain relevant information in a timely manner.
3. Enrich extracurricular activities and enhance the vitality of the campus
Extracurricular activities are an important part of university life, not only to enhance students’ overall abilities, but also to shape a vibrant campus culture. I pledge to:
1) Promote the “Give It A Go” activity to encourage more students, everyone is not perfect, do it first, and then gradually optimize, and encourage everyone to participate in various interest experiences, such as sports, art, cooking, etc.
2) Optimize the Roses Tournament, set flexible activity times, and introduce more sports that are popular with international students, such as table tennis, to broaden students’ participation opportunities.
3) Improve the publicity of club activities, multi-language version of publicity information, ensure that international students can more easily obtain information about various clubs and clubs, and lower the threshold for participation.
4. Organize large-scale campus events with high engagement
My goal is to increase student engagement and ensure that each event attracts more students from different backgrounds. I plan to:
1) Optimize the Freshers’ Fair, and add interactive links such as cultural corners, talent shows, and on-site demonstrations to make them more attractive.
2) Expand the size of the Summer Ball and Winter Formal to introduce more international cultural elements and make them truly inclusive social feasts.
3) Strengthen One World Week and International Gala, integrate existing cultural festivals, and create a more diverse and open platform for cultural exchange.
Advocacy Enhancement Program: Increase international student engagement
While there are already many quality events on campus, there is a lack of publicity, which limits the participation of international students. To address this, I will:
1) Optimize the way of publicity: Use social platforms such as Whatsapp, WeChat, Instagram, TikTok, etc., to broaden the channels of information dissemination and ensure that international students can get timely updates on activities.
2) Provide multilingual activity information: briefly introduce the content of the activity, and provide translations for common international student languages such as Chinese, Korean, French, Spanish, etc., to reduce language barriers.
3) Strengthen community cooperation: Cooperate with international student associations (such as the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) to jointly promote activities and encourage more international students to actively participate.
Conclusion
As an international student, I aspire to integrate more international students into campus life and help them find a sense of belonging through a variety of enriching activities.
If elected, I will spare no effort to optimize event planning and promotion, ensuring that every student can participate and enjoy the vibrant campus life at York University.
Even if I am not elected, I hope these voices will be heard by future event officers, creating wonderful campus memories for many more.
Please cast your vote for me, and let’s together create a more inclusive and colorful campus experience!
The manifestos appear here exactly as they were submitted to us. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of York Vision.