I sat down with Karl Spires, the co-ordinator of Give it a Go, to learn more about the scheme and its benefits.
CAN YOU BRIEFLY SUMMARISE WHAT GIAG IS?
Give it a Go is a scheme of activities, events and trips designed by the Student Union to encourage people to try new things and be aware of all the opportunities available while studying at Cardiff.
WHAT KIND OF EVENTS DO YOU OFFER?
There are two sides to ‘Give it a Go’. The student-led side is where all the clubs, societies, media, and volunteering groups can host their own ‘Give it a Go’s’ to allow other students the opportunity to see into what they get up to regularly as a society. This varies from dressing up as Disney characters and visiting children’s hospitals, a range of different cultural groups, the Taylor Swift Society club nights and all of the different sports clubs. The other side of ‘Give it a Go’ is the Student Union-led side, where my focus is. This largely focuses on events and organised different trips to places such as Stonehenge, Oxford and Edinburgh. These trips give students the opportunity to see the UK and have a small break from their studies.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THE BEST THING ABOUT THE SCHEME IS?
A difficult question! I think the fact that we have made these trips comes at such a low cost for students. Because we are a charity, we are not out there for the money but ultimately, this is something subsidised by the Student Union. It’s here as we really believe it benefits students, rather than a money-making enterprise. We offer a Resi-Life Discount on certain trips as well to encourage more people to come along and help out students where we can.
WHAT KIND OF SKILLS CAN BE GAINED WITH GIAG?
Some of the skills to be gained are public speaking skills, the ability to think on your feet and the ability to be a leader. These invaluable life skills demonstrate the benefits of the scheme to individual people, however, because it is so varied, we encourage students to take away whatever they can from the events.
Some of the skills to be gained are public speaking, the ability to think on your feet...”
IS IT ONLY FOR FRESHERS?
Not at all! While open to everybody, we highly recommend international students get involved as it gives them an opportunity to see more of the UK at an affordable cost.
COULD YOU SUM UP THE SCHEME IN ONE WORD?
Inspiring.
Thank you to Karl once again.