Thursday 24th March 2022

In a continued bid to positively influence the culture in student sport, SSS and the CHANGES: Programme has extended our partnership to continue tackling the challenges of initiation and hazing activity within student sport. Read more about the continued partnership below!

As of August 2019, Scottish Student Sport and the CHANGES Programme have strived as partners to advocate that student sport in Scotland is a safe and inclusive environment for all. Alongside CHANGES’ Programme researchers Professor Moira Lafferty (University of Chester) and Dr. Caroline Wakefield (Liverpool Hope University), we are continuing to work towards the commitments set out in the partnership agreement which are supported by SSS CHANGES trainers, Development Committee, and Equality Steering Group.

Through the partnership, we aim to:

SSS Commitment

  • Promote and market the CHANGES programme to SSS’ members
  • Continue to formally support the staff within the membership who make up the CHANGES delivery workforce as trainers
  • Advocate the use of the CHANGES workshop programme annually and work with sport sabbaticals to create a national campaign endorsing CHANGES messaging
  • Provide ongoing support through SSS staff, Development Committee, and Equality Steering Group

“The work we have done over the last 3 years in partnership has been ground-breaking in the UK. By working together through this agreement, we can move the programme forward through research-informed practice developments.”

CHANGES Commitment 

  • Continue to provide SSS members with the CHANGES workshop programme and components at a not-for-profit delivery
  • Continue to run SSS Train the Trainer workshops so we have people trained at the Regional level to lead the workshops
  • Update and share CHANGES resources
  • Work with SSS to further develop CHANGES to tackle anti-social behavior beyond welcome and initiation activities
  • Provide support, input, and updates at SSS Conference and meetings as required.
  • In all work involving CHANGES with other Educational groups/student sport acknowledge and reference the partnership agreement with SSS.

Lead researcher, Professor Moira Lafferty, from the University of Chester’s School of Psychology, told us:

“Renewing the partnership with Scottish Student Sport means we can continue to roll out the Challenging Hazing and Negative Group Events Programme (CHANGES) by working with students, our Scottish trainers, and their Committees to ensure that student sport in Scotland is safe and inclusive. The work we have done over the last 3 years in partnership has been ground-breaking in the UK and by working together through this agreement, we can move the programme forward through research-informed practice developments.”

Eilidh Paterson, Inclusion & Culture Development Coordinator shared:

“We at Scottish Student Sport are so grateful to be partnered with two incredible experts in Moira and Caroline who continue to provide our members’ student and staff with training at no cost but also, addressing extremely important and challenging subjects on campus shifting the sporting culture as we know it. We are delighted to extend our partnership with CHANGES and look forward to being part of the continued progress.”

staff writing on a poster paperSince the partnership’s conception in 2019, we have hosted three Train the Trainer sessions which has led to the upskilling of 26 staff from the SSS Membership. This strong foundation of trainers means SSS is able to offer members the opportunity to arrange training for their students on campus with the only cost being to cover the trainer’s travel expenses. As a result, a few of our members have created their own partners who return the on-campus training delivery favor to those that deliver for them.

If you are interested in booking one of our trainers to deliver some training to you or you do not have a staff member trained within your College or University, please reach out to SSS’ Inclusion & Culture Development Coordinator, Eilidh, and submit a note of interest.

Tayside, Fife, and Grampian Regional Trainers;

Eamonn Laird, University of Dundee

Rory Anton, Robert Gordon University

Kieran Matthews, Robert Gordon University

South East Regional Trainers;

Amy Beattie, University of Stirling

Catherine Wilson, Heriot-Watt University

Douglas Jardine – Scotland’s Rural College

West Regional Trainers;

Seona McKenzie, University of Strathclyde

Jamie Taylor, University of Glasgow

Scottish Student Sport’s Staff;

Eilidh Paterson, Scottish Student Sport – eilidh@scottishstudentpsort.com

Megan Richardson, Scottish Student Sport – megan@scottishstudentsport.com

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Wednesday 16th December 2020

Inspiration, innovation and collaboration at every corner. These were some of the key themes that emerged from the SSS 2020 Festive Gathering. Over 70 members tuned into the virtual gathering and were treated to thought-provoking discussion, high-quality guest speakers and plenty of Festive Fun! Read all about it here!

In a change to tradition and a fitting tribute to 2020, the SSS Festive Gathering was delivered virtually this year with over 70  members across the tribe tuning in to hear from a panel of world-class athletes and leaders in sport.

Whilst the virtual gathering was a first of its kind, the longstanding tradition of participants wearing festive jumpers remained true – with some fantastic outfits on show throughout the afternoon. None more so than panelist Robyn Love (pictured below) in what is undoubtedly a candidate for the most festive photo of the year.

After an energising welcome from SSS Chair Pete Burgon, a brief review of the year gone by and finances approved – our attendees were met by two equally inspiring and thought-provoking discussions from our special guests.

First up, the Road to Tokyo panel, where SSS Head of Competitions Chris Purdie, was joined by three athletes whose experiences through student sport had helped shape their career path and their journey to next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

Neah Evans (Cycling), Megan Gaffney (Rugby) and Robyn Love (Wheelchair Basketball) discussed how their positive student sport experiences helped them reach where they are today. From balancing the workload of their studies with the pressure of performing in their sport and also trying to keep up a social life in the process, the panelists spoke honestly and fondly of their student days.

All three touched upon the huge sacrifices required to make it at the top level and acknowledged the vital support they received from their institutions and staff during their time at University. This support has been vital to them and many other young athletes looking to achieve their potential while also studying and preparing for their future.

The panel discussed the importance of resilience and “bounce-back ability” that the challenges of Coronavirus and lockdown caused before previewing what promises to be a jam-packed and exciting year of sport in 2021.

All three have very real and promising hopes of competing at the Tokyo Olympic Games and everyone at SSS wishes Megan, Robyn and Neah every success for 2021 and beyond.

Following this inspirational panel, the next section was packed full of ambition, innovation and collaboration at every corner: An Audience with Jan Paterson.

Jan is currently Managing Director Sport for Neom, delivering a bold new vision of future living. Neom is being designed as a global city for global citizens and Jan’s role is to engrain sport and physical activity in the lives of residents. In the future city, citizens will never be more than 8 minutes from a sports facility and physical activity will be an integral part of the curriculum.

Jan herself is a pioneer and her experiences in leadership roles were a great learning opportunity for our audience. She spoke of the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people, and the significance of bottom-up team building. We also heard some great stories of her times at the World University Games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics.

To round off the day and in true 2020 style, the SSS Tribe were treated to a Zoom Quiz of the Year courtesy of Pete Burgon. This gave everyone a chance to show off their best Christmas jumpers, share some “funny” Christmas jokes and engage in some much needed festive cheer.

We would like to wish everyone a restful festive break and we look forward to seeing you all in 2021.

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Wednesday 29th April 2020

The numbers are in and SSS are excited to announce a 12% growth in club membership numbers in the 2019/20 academic year. Check out the sport-specific breakdown and highlights here!

Scottish Student Sport are delighted to report that across Scotland, the collective total club membership numbers has reached just under 40,000.  Here are some of the facts behind the numbers…

  • Across 571 student sports clubs there are 39,947 individuals reported to be taking part in club activity. This healthy annual growth of 12% is representative of the hard work put in by the staff, volunteers and students at each institution working hard to ensure good quality, fun and friendly sport and physical activity are available on campus.
  • We are delighted to see a huge increase in the reported involvement of students with a disability with that number reaching a total of 1,330 students.
  • The sex balance reported is 45% male, 48% female and 6% unknown.
  • There is slight movement in the top 10 sports per membership numbers with Netball moving up and Tennis moving down. Each sport in the top 10, with the exception of mountaineering, have all increased in size since the 2018/19 reporting.

Please see below a snapshot of the data capture. If you have any questions regarding the data then please email Development & Competitions Assistant Leah Davidson.

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Thursday 28th November 2019

The British Active Student Survey (BASS) 2019-20 is now live. Complete the survey before the 20th of December for your chance to win £50 ASOS vouchers!

What is the British Active Student Survey?

This is a joint initiative between BUCS, AoC Sport and UK Active – with for the first time the work being carried out in Further Education and Higher Education simultaneously. It aims to gain understanding into the levels of physical activity and the relationship between wider health and wellbeing, academic attainment, and employability skills.

The survey builds on the findings of Scottish Universities in 2017, British Universities in 2018 and British Colleges in 2019 – which all highlighted that active students have higher mental wellbeing, social inclusion, plus greater positive perceptions of academic attainment and employability compared to inactive students.

The survey is open from now until Friday 20th of December – take part now! 

Why should I take part?

By filling out the survey you will be contributing to important research and analysis to help gauge a greater understanding of the relationship between active students mental wellbeing, social inclusion,  academic attainment and employability compared to inactive students.

Any university that achieves a 5% completion rate in relation to their FTE of students will be provided with their own data set from the students that completed the survey from their institution.

Students who complete the survey will enter a prize draw to win up to three £50 ASOS vouchers.

For more information and to complete the survey follow the link!

 

 

 

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Wednesday 27th November 2019

We are excited to launch our brand new Scottish Student Sport Podcast! Episode 1 is now LIVE and available on Spotify! Find out more here.

We are excited to announce the launch of the brand new Scottish Student Sport Podcast!

In its debut series hosts Gavin Rittoo and Stew Fowlie will be joined by a variety of guests from across the Scottish Sporting world and beyond to discuss their journey and how student sport has shaped it along the way.

Aired monthly, the podcast will feature a chat with one of the sports sabbatical officers from our member institutions – getting to know them a little bit better and the exciting work they are doing this year. There will also be a ‘competitions corner’ segment which will round up all the latest results and reaction from our competitions and events across the country. Alongside this the show will round up all the latest news, updates and discuss all the hot topics in the exciting world that is Scottish Student Sport.

Episode 1

00:00 – 08:00 – Intro and Welcome with Stew & Gav

08:00 – 24:30 – Interview with Georgia Moran, Edinburgh Napier University

24:30 – 28:00 – Live musical performance from Georgia Moran

28:00 – 31:00 – Competitions update and reaction

31:00 – 50:30 – Interview with Malcolm King from the Big Sleep Out, previewing the event in December which SSS will be participating in

50:30 – 53:00 – Round up and upcoming events with Stew and Gav

How to listen:

You can find us on spotify, stitcher, spreaker and all other good podcasting sites.

Listen to “Episode 1 | Georgia Moran & The Big Sleep Out” on Spreaker.

Get in touch

If you have listened to the podcast then we want to hear from you!

Tweet us your thoughts on the podcast using the hashtag: #SSSPOD. Whether its praise, criticism , support or if you have a great idea then let us know! We will read out the best tweets on the next episode…

If you would like to appear on the podcast then drop as an email: info@scottishstudentsport.com 

If you are interested in joining our SSS Sleep Out team on Saturday 7th of December to help raise money and fight homelessness in Scotland then all the sign up information can be found here.

 

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