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ENTERPRISE SU - Queen's University Belfast

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<strong>ENTERPRISE</strong> <strong>SU</strong><br />

enterprise. volunteering. employability.<br />

Be a high flyer with<br />

Enterprise <strong>SU</strong><br />

In this weeks edition:<br />

Wednesday, 4 December<br />

‣Get experience in marketing.<br />

‣What’s the big idea?<br />

‣Gain valuable presentation skills with Money +.<br />

‣VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH.<br />

STUDENTS IN FREE <strong>ENTERPRISE</strong><br />

Could you use your talents to help start a business in a young offenders centre?<br />

We are looking for a multi-discipline group of talented students to form a team for a new<br />

project.<br />

Partnering with Advantage NI, Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) will be working in Hyde Bank<br />

young offenders institute to develop a social enterprise run entirely by the offenders themselves.<br />

SIFE’s role will be to develop the business plan and strategy for the enterprise. There will also be<br />

an opportunity to develop a new product for the enterprise.<br />

We are specifically looking for:<br />

• Students with business competencies.<br />

• Engineering students with an interest in product design.<br />

• Creative and innovative students.<br />

Joining our team will give you the fantastic opportunity to develop a real functioning business<br />

whilst drastically improving the life chances of young offenders when they leave prison.<br />

Contact: Florence Severs | QUB SIFE President | florence.severs@gmail.com<br />

Business Reporter Needed: business club<br />

Good understanding of the business environment and<br />

trends.<br />

Excellent written and communication skills.<br />

Responsibilities:<br />

❖ Run a club blog.<br />

❖ Edit content on Club Newsletter.<br />

Contact: Paulo Horta | President | phorta01@qub.ac.uk<br />

Airbus Fly Your Ideas 2013<br />

Register Your Team Now!<br />

Are you passionate about the environment?<br />

Do you have innovative ideas for a greener aviation industry?<br />

Do you want to pitch your ideas to a global aerospace leader?<br />

Here is your chance!<br />

‘Airbus Fly Your Ideas’ challenges students worldwide to<br />

develop ideas for a greener aviation industry. Now<br />

backed by UNESCO, the 2013 competition is more<br />

exciting than ever before.<br />

Fly Your Ideas is open to teams of 3 to 5 students from<br />

around the world, studying a first degree, Masters or PhD<br />

in any academic discipline, from engineering to<br />

marketing, business to science and philosophy to design.<br />

You have until November 30 2012 to register your team.<br />

The final will take place in June 2013 when the best<br />

teams will present their ideas to a panel of experts, for a<br />

chance to win €30,000.<br />

1<br />

It's time to fly your ideas!


WITHIN QUEEN’s<br />

Volunteering at Queen’s<br />

1. Study Support Group.<br />

2. Develop a Business in Romania.<br />

3. Student Volunteer of the Month.<br />

(LEFT) FAMILY FROM BRASOV COUNTY, ROMANIA;<br />

(ABOVE) VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH<br />

Study support group opportunity<br />

develop a business in romania<br />

Student Volunteer of the Month<br />

We are looking for students who can act as<br />

positive role models and encourage young<br />

people to progress into further and higher<br />

education.<br />

Volunteering for the St John Vianney Youth<br />

Club, in a study support group with children<br />

aged 5-16, will give you excellent By Trenz experience Pruca<br />

in working with young people and will also<br />

allow you to make a valuable contribution to<br />

the community.<br />

Time Commitment:<br />

1.5 – 3 hours every other Wednesday<br />

afternoon between 4 – 7pm during term<br />

time.<br />

Could you use your business skills to make<br />

a business in Romania flourish?<br />

Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) are looking<br />

Suspendisse feugiat mi sed lectus<br />

for a team of students to help commercialise<br />

aoreet nec interdum<br />

the skills of individuals living the rural area<br />

of Brasov County.<br />

Working in partnership with the NGO FAST,<br />

the project will develop a business plan and<br />

strategy, empowering families with the<br />

knowledge and skills to run a flourishing<br />

business.<br />

If you would like more information please<br />

don’t hesitate to get in contact:<br />

Do you know a committed volunteer who<br />

deserves recognition?<br />

A Queen’s <strong>University</strong> recognition programme<br />

for students who are committed<br />

volunteers.Please note that nominations can<br />

be made for an individual or a group of<br />

students.<br />

To have your nominee(s) be considered for<br />

QUB Student Volunteer of the Month, please<br />

determine if your candidate(s) meets the<br />

criteria which can be found on the link bellow.<br />

Download your application here. Send<br />

completed form to volunteer@qub.ac.uk<br />

Download your application HERE<br />

Deadline: 10 December 2012.<br />

Send your completed form to Aidan Hughes<br />

su.vpcommunity@qub.ac.uk | 028 9097 1050<br />

Michael Fox | Vice-President |<br />

michael11fox@gmail.com<br />

2<br />

To get involved in the volunteer Academy email: SIGN ME UP to volunteer@qub.ac.uk


DECEMBER 2012 <br />

U P D A T E <br />

V O L U N T E E R<br />

3<br />

OF THE MONTH<br />

What inspired you to get involved in volunteering?<br />

I was first inspired to volunteer by all the people<br />

around me who dedicate so much time and energy<br />

to the different causes they believe in. I guess<br />

initially I was inspired by my parents and my<br />

secondary school, who always placed a strong<br />

emphasis on giving back to the community and<br />

helping others, even in small ways. I began<br />

volunteering at fifteen in the local Cancer Research<br />

Shop in town two afternoons a week and on<br />

Saturday mornings. As I was too young to work at<br />

this stage, volunteering gave me the opportunity to<br />

meet new people and gain experience of the work<br />

place and until this day it was one of the most<br />

uplifting places I have worked in. From then on, I<br />

think I had caught the "bug" for volunteering and it<br />

has yet to leave!<br />

What does your volunteering involve? Tell us about what you<br />

do.<br />

At the minute, as I am in my final year of university, I<br />

am not doing as much volunteering as I would like,<br />

or have done in the past. I am the joint President of<br />

the Saint Vincent De Paul Society in <strong>University</strong>. This<br />

involves organising meetings, developing<br />

partnerships, fundraising activities and also leading,<br />

at a university level, Saint Vincent De Paul initiatives<br />

such as the hamper, shoe box and coat appeals.<br />

I am also a Volunteer Ambassador for Volunteer<br />

Now. This involves promoting volunteering on<br />

Una Burns<br />

behalf of the organisation among young people for<br />

example through speaking at volunteer and careers<br />

fairs, sharing my volunteer story, working with the<br />

Youth Team in Volunteer Now to enhance and<br />

improve the website and Facebook page. I also sign<br />

off and support the members in our society working<br />

towards achieving their awards of excellence.<br />

What skills or qualities are required for a volunteering role?<br />

I would pick out five main qualities: passion and<br />

commitment, energy, integrity and the willingness to<br />

sacrifice!<br />

I think you have to have passion for the cause. You<br />

need to believe that your volunteering makes a<br />

difference and the organisation you volunteer for is<br />

honest and has integrity. To make a real difference,<br />

to make a change, you need to be committed to the<br />

cause. Whether you are unloading boxes from a<br />

truck in the middle of summer or shoveling snow for<br />

the elderly, you need to have enthusiasm and drive<br />

for what you are doing.<br />

Volunteering can take a lot of energy. When I was in<br />

Thailand teaching English, numerous people were<br />

getting stomach sicknesses; the work was physically<br />

exhausting, and the intense heat and humidity did<br />

not help the situation. However, I was amazed and<br />

encouraged by the unrelenting energy the group<br />

put forth each day. It was one of the most<br />

encouraging and exciting things to see. It really<br />

showed how much the group believed in what they<br />

were doing and the importance they placed on it.<br />

One of the most helpful things I’ve seen in our<br />

volunteers is integrity. When people are sincere in<br />

their every day life it enriches their volunteer work in<br />

a way that speaks louder than words.<br />

Volunteering is just that sacrificing of one’s time,<br />

energy and services without expecting anything in<br />

return. In today’s world, sacrificing your time is<br />

frequently extremely challenging but I think it is at<br />

this point when we have to examine what we are<br />

doing, is it worth our time and effort? Because<br />

when we realize what’s important, living for ourselves<br />

is often not so appealing.<br />

What do you enjoy most about volunteering and what has<br />

been your highlight?<br />

The most rewarding thing about volunteering for me<br />

is how something that may be so small and may<br />

seem insignificant, can make such a difference in<br />

another persons life! I have met some amazing and<br />

inspirational people through volunteering and it<br />

continues to surprise, challenge and excite me. It is<br />

hard to say what has been my “one highlight” but it<br />

would probably have to be my experience with<br />

SERVE in Thailand last year. I went to Thailand for six<br />

weeks to teach English to women of all ages who<br />

were living in a severely corrupt and challenging<br />

society. The commitment, perseverance, courage<br />

and stamina of the women I met while I was there,<br />

living in extremely difficult situations, opened my<br />

eyes hugely to the difference a team of eleven can<br />

do. A project, which I began as an “English teacher”<br />

quickly became a once in a lifetime opportunity with<br />

some of the most unbelievable people, whom to this<br />

day I have such admiration and respect for.<br />

What advice would you pass onto someone who would like to<br />

volunteer?<br />

Firstly, find a cause you are passionate about and<br />

that means something to you and take a risk! And, at<br />

my own risk of sounding too cheesy a friend gave<br />

me a quote and I couldn’t think of a more<br />

appropriate ending:<br />

“It's never too late or, too early to be whoever you<br />

want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you<br />

want. You can change or stay the same, there are no<br />

rules. We can make the best or the worst of it. I<br />

hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see<br />

things that startle you. I hope you feel things you<br />

never felt before. I hope you meet people with a<br />

different point of view. I hope you live a life you're<br />

proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have<br />

the strength to start all over again”.<br />

To nominate a committed volunteer from queen’s click here.


The Final task in the QUB Apprentice 2012 was the biggest test either Judith or<br />

Sean would face yet. Their task was to help in the branding of the new Simon<br />

Community charity shop on Botanic Avenue, while increasing donations over the<br />

course of the week and running the actual shop itself for one day.<br />

Sean<br />

You’re<br />

Hired!<br />

‘Team Judith’ - Judith headed into the final task as odd’s on<br />

favorite to win. Having won four out of four tasks so far<br />

who would bet against her. When selecting her team Judith<br />

chose Paul, John and Philip. Having worked with Paul in<br />

almost all the previous tasks he was an obvious choice and by the end, boy was she<br />

glad of that pick. Early on in the task Judith got in touch with a friend who was a<br />

Graphic Designer, to design logos and leaflets, while making plans for Wednesday when<br />

she would run the store. Unfortunately after organising the branding Judith became ill.<br />

At this point it was her team leadership which came to the fore, nominating Paul as<br />

her stand in leader, a role that Paul excelled at. Paul ran the shop like it was his own,<br />

helped by both John and Philip as well as family and friends. The team managed great<br />

sales on the day coming up with innovative competitions and ideas to raise even more<br />

money. Despite being very sick and being unable to attend the store during the week Judith was able to<br />

orchestrate a total of almost £5,000. This was very impressive for a store which, on an average day takes around<br />

£50.<br />

‘Team Sean’ - Where do you even start with Sean! What a week the ‘big dawg’<br />

had, from featuring in The Sun newspaper to auctioning off an old tweed jacket to UTV<br />

sports presenter Adrian Logan. The final task was Sean’s opportunity to use his<br />

extensive network which he talked about throughout the process. He certainly<br />

grabbed that opportunity with both hands. As he already alluded to early on, Sean<br />

looked for publicity opportunities and getting the word out and while his actual brand<br />

was not as strong as Judith’s, he made sure that the entire UK and Ireland would know<br />

about him. On the actual day Sean aided by Siobhan, Louise and Tony took over the<br />

shop and made over £2500 in just seven hours of trading. Throughout the rest of the<br />

week he ran different initiatives to get members of the general public to donate clothes, videos, antiques, generally<br />

anything of value and in one case even brand new laptops, taking Sean’s total for the week rose to a very<br />

‘dandable’ £10,000 an incredible amount of money.<br />

<br />

Mr Aidan Hughes (VP Community) introduced the candidates and summarised the previous tasks highs and lows.<br />

Back stage Mr Jim Eastwood was starting to build his case on both Judith & Sean. As they both entered the<br />

boardroom, it was down to business for both Judith and Sean. Aided by Ms Nuala McAdams (VP Education) and<br />

your’s truly, Jim started to go through each task with both candidates. Early on it became clear that Sean had not<br />

been on a winning team right up-until he switched over onto Judith’s team in week 3. Judith’s impeccable record<br />

shone through as she comfortably took questions from Jim around her leadership, communication and teamwork<br />

skills. Sean however, didn’t let Judith have it all her own way. Sean did not let Jim forget the large part he played in<br />

week 3 when the candidates had to give the Halloween tour. Sean in his own words, planned, sold the tickets and<br />

gave the tour. With constant debate between the candidates, it was over to Aidan Hughes to reveal the results<br />

from the final task.<br />

The candidates, panel and audience learned of the amazing amount of money both candidates raised. After asking<br />

some more questions Jim, Nuala and I retired backstage to deliberate over what we had heard and who would<br />

eventually win. When we emerged, Jim emphasized the incredibly hard decision it was, but in the end it was Sean’s<br />

final performance. His want and need for the prize impressed Jim and the ‘You’re Hired’ was directed at Sean.<br />

<br />

In the end it was an incredibly hard decision for Jim to make. Believe me, I was there and I am sure Nuala would<br />

agree. Whilst I am obviously delighted for Sean, I feel very sorry for Judith. Judith has a strong CV, strong<br />

experience and a real track record of success in the competition. Although she did lose the final task she did win 4<br />

out of 5 overall as she was placed number one by all the judges in the interviews. On the other hand Sean is<br />

everything the apprentice competition represents. A grafter who simply never gave up. Like him or not, in the<br />

boardroom never once did Sean say a bad word about Judith a favour which Judith did not repay it has to be said,<br />

something which Jim saw as an admirable quality in Sean.<br />

Was Jim correct? Well, that is a loaded question, one which I am not going to answer. Deloitte and Simon<br />

Community if you ask me are the real winners, while the Simon Community got almost £15,000 overall, Deloitte<br />

obviously got Sean for his prize and I believe have also looked to getting Judith in for a placement. Judith and Sean<br />

represented two extremely good candidates who reached the final from a total of eight great candidates over the<br />

weeks, congratulations to them all. The real question is - was this years finalists better than last years? Don’t ask<br />

silly questions. Of course they’re not!<br />

‘You’re Hired’ were the words from day one<br />

Sean McNally wanted to hear. On Wednesday<br />

night he got his wish. In week one Sean told<br />

Jim he would see him in the final and Sean did<br />

not disappoint. A show man through and<br />

through, total comedy gold, Sean is a people<br />

person who uses his network very well. Sean<br />

believes business can be done on the strength<br />

of a handshake and is a very honest individual<br />

who does not mince his words. In the<br />

boardroom Jim warmed to Sean’s personality<br />

and liked how he did not once criticize his<br />

competition. Although Sean came under fire<br />

for his “Athletes foot” (I think he meant<br />

Achilles heel) in the form of his elevator pitch<br />

and how he often was reluctant to take<br />

management roles, his final performance and<br />

personality won it for him. Congratulations<br />

Sean.<br />

Judith, while I am sure was very disappointed<br />

to miss out by such small margins at the very<br />

last hurdle should be going away as a<br />

champion. Although the competition has only<br />

being running now two years, not only was<br />

Judith the only first year student to reach the<br />

final, she was the only competitor never to<br />

lose a task on her way to the apprentice<br />

Final. Even though Judith spent much of the<br />

final task very ill, she managed to raise £5,000!<br />

Jim was impressed by Judith’s ambition, team<br />

leadership abilities, organization and passion<br />

especially at the age of 18. In the words of Dr.<br />

Trefor Campbell CBE (one of the dragons at<br />

the interviews), I agree that Judith is a<br />

“diamond, which will just grow and grow.”<br />

I think I speak for everyone who followed the<br />

process in saying we look forward to seeing<br />

what Judith & Sean do next.<br />

Owen McMeel,<br />

2011 QUB<br />

Apprentice Winner<br />

Each week I report<br />

on the biggest<br />

blunders, moments<br />

of genius as well of<br />

course hearing from<br />

each candidate as<br />

they get fired. I will<br />

also post your<br />

comments, tweets<br />

and reactions each<br />

week.<br />

GET INVOLVED:<br />

4<br />

thequbapprentice YourQUB<strong>SU</strong> @mcmeel1 #qubapprentice2012


AB InBev Best Beer Competition<br />

Create a new beer for your university and win a prize fund of €4,000!<br />

This is an opportunity to showcase your team working skills and<br />

creativity whilst working towards the chance of winning some fantastic<br />

prizes. It also adds a practical dimension to your studies and the allimportant<br />

commercial awareness so many employers seek.<br />

To enter get together a team of 2-4 students and design a new beer<br />

for your university. Once you've applied you'll have until the entry<br />

deadline of 13 February 2013 to submit a project plan and the eight<br />

best project plans from each country (the UK and Belgium) will be<br />

selected to participate in a regional heat in March 2013 with €3,000 to<br />

be won.<br />

The Grand Final will be held in Belgium and will take place on 30 April<br />

2013. The winning team will be declared and winning €2,500 for<br />

themselves and a further €1,500 for charity<br />

To find out more click HERE<br />

AN ENTREPRENEURIAL STORY<br />

queens graduate makes <strong>Belfast</strong> enterprise academy experience count<br />

WH Ere has always been involved in design and inspiring others. After leaving university with a degree in Architecture and a<br />

Masters degree, he became disillusioned with the lack of opportunity and vision to be found here. He has a vision to inspire<br />

others by building a successful and unique clothing line, that is set apart from competitors.<br />

got a novel and exciting business idea?<br />

Enter ‘whats the big idea?’ for your chance to win!<br />

clICK HERE to find out more<br />

This unique clothing range first popped up in Portstewart during the Irish Open golf competition, in an abandoned shop. He<br />

arrived, had a party, sold t-shirts, and disappeared. The designs are exclusive to WH Ere and a certain mystery surrounds<br />

how to attain the clothes...<br />

WH Ere currently has a stall located near to Lavery’s Beer tent in the <strong>Belfast</strong> Christmas market.<br />

Mon - Wed 10am- 8pm<br />

Thurs - Sat 10am - 10pm<br />

Sun 1pm - 6pm<br />

Do you want to develop your presentation skills?<br />

Do you want to gain confidence speaking in front of groups?<br />

Join ‘Money +’ and develop valuable skills while helping to deliver financial literacy<br />

workshops to schools around <strong>Belfast</strong>.<br />

All participation is degree plus accredited.<br />

For more details contact: Joanne Boyle | joanneemmaboyle123@msn.com<br />

CONTACT <strong>ENTERPRISE</strong> <strong>SU</strong><br />

Queen’s <strong>University</strong> <strong>Belfast</strong><br />

Students’ Union<br />

<strong>University</strong> Road<br />

<strong>Belfast</strong><br />

Telephone: 02890 973106<br />

Email: enterprisesu@qub.ac.uk<br />

Forward this email on to anyone you think would like it.<br />

To sign up, simply email ‘mail me’ with your name, student number,<br />

course and year of graduation to enterprisesu@qub.ac.uk<br />

5

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