KCLSU is supporting the following campaigns this year (voted by students)

CoppaFeel! In The Shower

Ethical procurement: fair trade within medicine

It's Alright if You're Not Ok

Education Activist Network

CoppaFeel! In The Shower

We aim to increase the number of young people that are aware of the risk of breast cancer. We represent the charity CoppaFeel!, at King's, and this charity was set up when a 22 year old discovered lumps in her breasts, but was told she was too young to have breast cancer. Consequentially this cancer went undetected, and is now terminal. The aim of the charity is to ensure this happens to no one else, including boys (500 men a year get breast cancer). We want people to CoppaFeel! in the shower this year and get to know their boobies... because in the shower is the best place to do it! We want this to be a fun, diverse campaign that ensures that every student at King's gets to know their boobies a bit better. Our work has already had an impact, as students have told us that they have gone home and copped'a'feel, and this shows how important it is that we get the issue of breast cancer on the minds of students. We have loads of ideas for this year, including a boob bake-sale and club nights, and could do with any support to help expand our message!

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Ethical procurement: fair trade within medicine

There's been so much emphasis on fair trade tea and coffee but we want to expand the idea into medical consumables. The aim of our campaign is to highlight the current sourcing of goods such as scrubs, gloves, surgical equipment etc. and then to encourage trusts to convert to fair trade sourcing. To date many trusts including GSTT rely on the ethical procurement policies of the wholesaler NHS supply chain for the basic medical and surgical consumables. Recent news reports however have highlighted the poor conditions in which these are made in Asia, particularly in Pakistan and Malaysia. In essence lives are being endangered there to save lives here in the UK. We have already contacted the trust and they have said they "would welcome the opportunity to work with medsin to develop a template ethical procurement position which GSTT could champion and act as a template for other NHS organisations to adopt". We're excited about this development and would be very keen for more support from KCLSU.

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It's Alright if You're Not Ok

Sometimes it's difficult to face up to something you're unwilling to admit to yourself. If you feel like you've been taken advantage of by someone you liked or trusted, it's alright to feel used; It's never your fault, whatever the circumstances. Telling someone will lighten the burden, although it's sometimes the most difficult step to take. Don't keep yourself silent. Sexual assault happens far more often than the statistics show. It’s often something that is very difficult to accept and deal with, especially when you are away from home. In an environment such as university, where you are going out, meeting new people and (let’s face it) often drinking, mistakes happen, and they aren’t always 100% consensual. No always means no, even if it’s a “friend” - Over 2/3 of assault victims know the person who took advantage of them. In conjunction with Victim Support, we aim to stand opposed to the beliefs of people like George Galloway (sex with someone sleeping isn’t ok!) and offer a support network for people who feel as if they have been taken advantage of. You aren’t alone.

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Education Activist Network

EAN aims to reverse the government's neoliberal agenda of slashing funding to public education. The Coalition has overseen the trebling of tuition fees and the continued process of privatising education. If this onslaught continues, prospective students will be priced out and education will become a luxury for the wealthy few. EAN maintains that education is a fundamental and universal right, and its availability should not be determined by one's economic background. EAN has been at the heart of student resistance since 2010, building for demonstrations even when the NUS has reneged on its responsibilities. The funding and publicity it would gain from the Platform Campaign could help to make the student demonstration on 21st November as big as possible. As the Quebec student movement has proven, the best way to defeat austerity is to face it on the streets.

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