Good News Stories

Hope 4 Life World Kindness Day

To celebrate World Kindness Day on 13^th November 2024, our Handy Helpers volunteers teamed up with Hope 4 Life NI, a mental health charity focusing on prevention and early intervention by promoting positive wellbeing. Nadia, Youth Development Director for Hope 4 Life, met with the volunteers and provided ribbon-tied bags full of lollipops of all different colours and flavours. Attached to each lollipop were cheerful messages written by children from primary schools across NI that participate in Hope 4 Life’s programmes. Some of the childrens’ words of wisdom included:

“Be yourself, everybody else is already taken. Plus, you’re great!”

“You are loved, don’t worry about the haters”

“You are enough! When you feel sad or think you did a bad thing remember all the good things that make you feel AMAZING!”

“You’re worth it!”

The volunteers visited different places across campus to hand out the lollipops to students. They put bright smiles on lots of faces in the Student’s Union, outside the McClay Library, in Botanic Gardens and around University Street. The students were all delighted to read the lovely messages on their treats. Many people did not know it was World Kindness Day and were eager to hear more. The volunteers explained to anyone curious about Hope 4 Life’s campaigns, especially their Uberheroes Kindness Awards, a programme that celebrates the achievements of children who have shown kindness to others. A QR code was included on each lollipop that people could scan to nominate a child for the awards if they so wished.

Amie, a Handy Helper, said of the day that “it was a really worthwhile and fun activity. I was a bit nervous about going up to people to hand out the lollipops, but everyone was so happy and surprised. It put me in a good mood, and I really realised how nice and friendly people can be to each other and how small things can make your day.”

The Handy Helpers look forward to spreading more smiles around campus in the future.  

SU Light Switch On

The Festive Season has officially begun at the Student’s Union with our bright lights turning on for the first time on Thursday 28^th November. Our Christmas trees, sprigs of holly, Santas and elves are decking every corner of the building with even our signature rubber ducks dressed up in red for the festive season!

SU Volunteer held an arts and crafts session to get students involved and settled in to watch the celebrations. Our tables, decorated with Christmas wrapping paper, were full of students taking a break from the busy exam and assignment season to be creative, making Christmas trees from yard sticks and bobbles, using festive-themed colouring books and adding their creations to our comic strips – which have been brightened up with several trees, candy canes, presents, stars and reindeer! Students also contributed to our ‘Positivitree’ by writing positive and kind messages on brown labels and hanging them on the tree for others to read and take home if they wish.

The QUB student-led hockey team, in their Santa hats, gave a dance performance with their hockey sticks in tow, which provided good entertainment for the artists at our table! The Christian Union then arrived with the best of their singers and an amazing pianist to sing beautiful Christmas carols from the steps of the SU. With everyone now successfully in the festive spirit, the students played a game of pass the parcel with sparkling balloons to decide who would get the honour of switching on the lights. They threw the balloons from person to person while Christmas music played in the background and the lucky people holding it when the music stopped received a present. The last student to be left with the balloon got to join the SU president beside our big Christmas tree and after a countdown, by the group gathered, pressed the button to turn on the colourful lights across the SU. With the dark evenings coming in earlier as students head to and from the library in one of their busiest times of year, hopefully the lights can give them some cheer and excitement for the Christmas season.