On her motivations for running, Amelia Desouza told Forge: “I’m just seeing how much I’m loving this job, how much I’m really enjoying being able to support students’ needs.”
Amelia added: “If I was to get re-elected, it’s just a case of, you could hit the ground running, and I would know exactly what I need to do and when, how to do it, who I need to go to, and ultimately just be there for students again.”
When asked about her thoughts on the greatest challenge facing students at the moment, Amelia highlighted the “cost of living”.
She explained: “Having the money to take part in a sports club might not be as important to someone as not having money for a food shop or accommodation or housing… But I think that everyone should have the ability to choose whether they want to take part.”
Her manifesto is based on the same foundations as last year “but just tweaked”, the first aspect of which is “driving excellence in clubs, being able to make sure that our committee members and club support members are supported throughout their university experience.”
The second key aspect of her manifesto is that “well-being matters”, more specifically the vision that “in an ideal world, everyone should have access to the services that they need.”
The third aspect is “let’s get active together”. Amelia explained that: “everyone should be able to access it [sports], whether that’s well-being Wednesday, or pride in sport campaigns, women in sport week campaigns. I think for me, it’s just important that everyone can feel the benefit of taking part in, not just sport, but physical activity in general, whether that’s literally a walk.”
The final aspect of her manifesto is about “funding future and facilities”, with Amelia appreciating the new sports centre but underlining the importance of “making sure that student voices are fed throughout and that the building really does meet the needs of students.”
Amelia told Forge that she has already started pursuing these goals this year, with the introduction of “women only hours on Wednesdays and at the weekends, opening up the S&C suite when it’s busy.”
When asked about her plans for her campaign, Amelia emphasised speaking to people. She said: “If I spoke to five people in a day, but had really deep, meaningful conversations with them about their story and about what they really want, that would mean more to me than randomly speaking to people off the cuff and they’re like, I don’t really care.”
However, Amelia also added that she wants to “have a bit of fun”, explaining that “I’ve done it for a year. I have had a great time, I’ve got more to give, but you know, I can only do so much. As long as I put my best, like my all into it, I’m chilling.”
Amelia said that if she were re-elected, she would first focus on “changing my attitude towards the job, cause I love it, but just fully diving into it and not holding back I think would be the main thing.”
When asked what she would do if granted an unlimited budget, Amelia said: “I would give it to students. But in all seriousness, I really wanted to work on the participation grant,” underlining the difficulties for students who face financial difficulties but struggle to fit the exact criteria to receive grants.
Amelia said that her favourite part of university has been “women’s rugby”, adding that: “sport at university isn’t just about playing on a Wednesday. It’s about having fun with your mates, meeting new people, and having time to de-stress from university.”
Finally, when asked which celebrity would play her in a movie about her campaign, Amelia said: “I love Pitch Perfect, so maybe Anna Kendrick. Pitch Perfect is my favourite film ever so I would like a riff off of my campaign.”
