Hi, my name is Takudzwa Mawera, a third year International Relations with Politics student running for Vice-President of Wellbeing and Diversity.
The role is very close to my heart as a member of marginalized communities that are unrepresented, unheard and oppressed. The university we all currently reside in sits in the heart of a city that is not very diverse and has an undertone of strong xenophobic, homophobic and racist inclinations as highlighted by Plymouth’s widespread BLM protest which triggered the legitimization of the Decolonization campaign and gave much needed relevance to the Race and Equality Charter committee seeking to drive progressive and inclusive social change. The treatment and eventual eradication of social cancers starts with bringing Awareness and Understanding of the implications of normalizing divisive, toxic behavior that corrupts societal norms in the long term.
Experience and skills
My experience for this role is highlighted by my skills in communication, team work, public relations, networking, negotiation, marketing, relationship and event management obtained from multiple committee roles across six societies, the UPSU forum and my roles as a social media, events, campaigns and research intern over the past two and a half years within this university and student union.
What I plan to do if elected?
- Diversity - Educational Liberation and Awareness workshop to bridge gaps between International students and UK nationals to address segregation in societies and sports clubs.
- Demoracy - Keep an open channel of communication which will engage the student body through a focused medium sharing each step, goal, setback and outcome of specific issues presented by the student body to foster unity and inclusivity.
- Inclusivity - Implementation of question and answer system to allow students to publicly and anonymously ask questions pertaining to issues on the student agenda (This system could potentially be developed into an app).