Ben Bolger: My Experience as UNIC Student Rep

21 Sep 2023

Over the past year as a UNIC Student Rep for UCC, I have had the opportunity to take part in many events for the initiative both here in Cork and abroad in our partner universities.

One of the best events was also my first day in the role. This was last November, when we held our student led UNIC Day here on campus at UCC. Alicia, my fellow UNIC Rep at the time, and I had a stall in the Hub where we had games for students to spread awareness of UNIC and answered any questions students had about the project. It was great getting feedback from the wider student community here at UCC and seeing how students envisaged their role in the progression of UCC in UNIC as we move forward. Later that day we had a reception with members of the Oulu delegation, one of our partner universities, who were visiting Cork. I could not have asked for a better introduction to UNIC, as it showed me the potential benefits this collaboration could have for all members, with it bringing us and partner universities closer together in terms of teaching, learning and research.

I have also had the chance to travel to two other UNIC cities to date in this role. Firstly, to Zagreb, Croatia, with other members of the UCC UNIC team to sign our application for the next phase of the project and then to Bilbao, Spain, to participate in the final CityLabs festival. Both trips were incredibly insightful and showed how our cities can develop together. The meetings in Zagreb were very future focused, as the UNIC Student Board, and I as part of it, were tasked with charting the future of students in the collaboration. Bilbao in contrast, showed me the similarities and differences between this UINC city and Cork. From the many events that were organised as part of festival, it was evident that there were shared elements between Bilbao and Cork, in terms of history, current situation and trajectory into the future. However, both cities can learn from each other and prosper into the future through collaboration on shared challenges.

After Zagreb, the UNIC Student Board, with representatives from each partner university, started to work on reforming the board for the next steps in the project. I took a role in forming the new statutes for the board and creating the guiding principles that will govern the UNIC Student Board as it progresses. With the larger role that students will take in the next phase of UNIC, ensuring that student engagement and that the voices of students are amplified were key areas that we focused on. This was done to maintain the representation of students within UNIC and that we continue to play a pivotal role in guiding its progression.

Finally, throughout my time as a UNIC Student Rep for UCC I have encouraged students to engage with the initiative, both at a university and city level. I have worked with several clubs and societies within our university and discussed the many potential opportunities it can have for them. This has been an exciting journey as working with other motivated students on seeing the development of UNIC on a local level has been very rewarding. Although, I do see a lot of work to be done here as UNIC continues to grow and more students become involved, I am excited to see where it takes us. The role of students in the future of UNIC is something I see as pivotal in overcoming the challenges that we here in Cork and our partner universities face.