We have a range of leadership roles for every type of person and interest. Take a look through our full list of activites and find out more about the different roles that you can get involved with:
As a Peer Mentor, you will be one of the first points of contact for first-year students within your discipline. You will play a key role in helping first-year students adjust to University life by sharing your experiences, offering support and directing them to relevant services.
What do I need to do?
What training do I need to complete?
You need to be trained by the Peer Support programme as a Peer Mentor (completion of three training sessions).
Find out more about the role of a Peer Mentor
Contact: peersupport@manchester.ac.uk
If you complete a Peer Support role for 2 years, it counts as two 'Step Up and Lead' roles. The activity will be verified towards 'Step Up and Lead' by Student/Staff coordinators and by your Peer Support Graduate Intern. It will also added to your Higher Education Achievement Report.
As a Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) Leader, you will be one of the first points of contact for first-year students within your discipline. You will play a key role in helping first-year students adjust to University life by sharing your experiences, offering advice and directing them to relevant services.
What do I need to do?
What training do I need to complete?
You need to be trained by the Peer Support programme as a PASS Leader (completion of all three training sessions).
Find out more about the role of a PASS Leader
Contact: peersupport@manchester.ac.uk
If you complete a Peer Support role for 2 years, it counts as two 'Step Up and Lead' roles. The activity will be verified towards 'Step Up and Lead' by Student/Staff coordinators and by your Peer Support Graduate Intern. It will also added to your Higher Education Achievement Report.
As a Student Coordinator you are responsible for promoting the scheme within your discipline and you will become a regular point of contact for the Staff Coordinator(s), Mentors and Peer Support Interns.
What do I need to do?
What training do I need to complete?
You need to be trained by the Peer Support programme as a Student Coordinator.
Find out more about the role of Student Coordinator.
Contact: peersupport@manchester.ac.uk
If you complete a Peer Support role for 2 years, it counts as two 'Step Up and Lead' roles. The activity will be verified towards 'Step Up and Lead' by Student/Staff coordinators and by your Peer Support Graduate Intern. It will also added to your Higher Education Achievement Report.
As a Student Rep, you are the link between students and the University on all things course related. You'll listen to students' thoughts and ideas about their course, and feed this back to your School.
What do I need to do?
What training do I need to complete?
You will need to attend a face-to-face training session within your school or programme. Online training is currently being developed so get in touch if you're interested.
Find out more about the role of a Student Rep.
Whether it is by being an Athletic Union club committee member, a Sporticipate session leader or a Campus Sport league coordinator, our sporting workforce is the beating heart of our activities.
What do I need to do?
Your hours will be verified towards Step Up and Lead by the Sport club captain/chair or the appropriate Sport staff member depending on the nature of the task being logged and also added to your HEAR.
What training do I need to complete?
You need to attend an essential annual role specific training event or workshop to suit the requirements of the position, as well as an induction in the use of the SVS system.
Running a society comes with its fair share of responsibilities and you're bound to learn so many things during your experience of managing a student group.
What do I need to do?
Find out more about the role of a Students’ Union Club or Society Committee Member.
At Manchester every halls of residence has a Hall Exec Team. This team of student leaders work together to create a community within the hall and ensure residents have the best student experience. The teams are made up of students who live in halls and volunteer to be either a Student Voice Rep or an Event Rep.
Event Reps plan and organise socials, trips, activities and events for students living in halls. Student Voice Reps represent their fellow students in halls by gaining feedback on a variety of topics. They then present this to The Student Union, ResLife and Senior Managers at the University, to make positive changes and improve the student experience.
What do I need to do?
*Late registration may also be accepted depending on circumstance and must be agreed with the Students' Union.
What training do I need to complete?
Attendance at an essential annual role specific training event or workshop organised through the Students' Union to suit the requirements of the position.
As a Student Wellbeing Champion, you'll boost engagement and awareness of the 'Six Ways to Wellbeing' in your School/Hall of Residence and across the university
What do I need to do?
As a Student Wellbeing Champion, you will be required to:
What training do I need to complete?
You’ll be trained in the University’s approach to positive wellbeing (Six Ways to Wellbeing), and the campaigns the University has planned across the year. You’ll also be trained in planning and running events, and in marketing and promoting them as part of the monthly meetings, with input from specialist teams. You’ll be supported throughout the year by the Student Support and Wellbeing graduate interns.
Volunteering Champions are students who take on an additional role promoting community volunteering to other students in their subject area. As a Volunteering Champion, you’ll be a point of contact for students in your subject who want to find out about volunteering opportunities. You’ll work with staff to raise awareness of upcoming volunteering events and activities across campus, sharing your enthusiasm for community volunteering with others!
What do I need to do?
As a Volunteering Champion you will:
What training do I need to complete?
There will be an initial briefing session and then on-going networking sessions (two sessions per semester), where you can share ideas and best practice with other Volunteering Champions.
Heart Heroes are trained to deliver basic life support training to other students. This includes CPR, choking remediation, use of an AED and the recovery position.
No prior knowledge of basic life support is required as full training will be given to instructors on how to perform each of the skills required, and how to train others in the same skills.
The activity is student-facing and therefore counts towards Step up and Lead rather than Make a Difference which is community based volunteering.
Heart Heroes Instructor
What do I need to do?
As a minimum requirement you need to complete the Instructor training package (2 sessions) and co-lead at least 3 Heart Heroes training sessions during the academic year.
What training do I need to complete?
You will need to complete the Instructor training package.
Find out more about the Heart Heroes role by emailing
Greater Manchester Nightline provides a non-judgemental, non-advisory listening service to students within Greater Manchester. Selected, trained student volunteers maintain a professional, accredited, confidential phone line on 12 hour overnight shifts during term time. Volunteers develop communication skills to a high standard whilst liaising with colleagues within the organisation to deliver a consistent service.
Nightline Listening Volunteers provide peer-to-peer support to other students. The activity therefore counts towards Step up and Lead activity and does not count towards Make a Difference (Volunteering) hours.
What do I need to do?
Volunteers are required to complete a minimum number of shifts per semester (three shifts giving 36 hours of volunteering in total per term). Attendance at Annual General Meetings and Ordinary General Meetings is also mandatory unless apologies are sent; ensuring registered volunteers complete a minimum amount of volunteering and participation within the society.
What training do I need to complete?
To become a listening volunteer, students must complete 3 weeks of training at weekends, which are currently online. They involve a continual assessment process. There is a selection process to ensure a high quality of volunteers. Once training is completed, volunteers are given access to an online rota system where they can sign up for shifts and their volunteer hours can be logged. The Activity is verified by the Nightline Managing Committee which is part of the Students’ Union.
Find out more about the role of Nightline Listening Volunteer
Contact: activities.su@manchester.ac.uk
University of Manchester Physics Outreach (UMPO) is a student-led outreach group whose volunteers promote physics and astronomy to a wide range of public audiences. Every Wednesday in term-time they visit local primary and secondary schools to deliver physics workshops developed by the students themselves. The volunteers also deliver ‘science busking’ and tabletop demos for families and the public at science festivals, musical festivals, and in venues that include museums, shopping centres, markets and city spaces.
Committee members contribute to running the group and planning and arranging activities which counts towards 'Step up and Lead.' Student volunteers delivering outreach activity as part of UMPO can count their hours towards 'Make a Difference' Volunteering hours.
What do I need to do?
Student leaders are members of the UMPO committee and work as a team over 1-2 years to deliver a programme of activities including:
What training do I need to complete?
The committee have instituted peer training and a six-month overlap period so that new committee members can work with the person they will be replacing.
Non-sabbatical officers are elected by the student body to represent a specific group of students in an area beyond their specific degree programme, e.g. to represent students from an entire Faculty or for a particular liberation group e.g. BME Students Officer, Disabled Students officer.
What do I need to do?
Role descriptions are advertised during the elections and have defined tasks and responsibilities.
You would need to:
What training do I need to complete?
You will complete training which is relevant to the specific role. Details are given in the role description.
Training is given to those in post which informs them of their duties in accordance with UMSU by-laws.
Find out more about the role.
Whilst this role will count towards Stellify for anyone who has already completed it, it it no longer offered as an option to sign up to.
Manchester Mates Peer Mentors support the ongoing wellbeing of a peer who is perhaps struggling to adjust to University or is in general struggling with their mental health.
Manchester Mates Mentors take a person-centred approach, they will develop their empathy, and active listening skills as well as their person to person communication. Mentors will strive to show empathy, unconditional positive regard (be non-judgemental), and will be genuine (congruent).
This will involve the students developing skills in providing non-directive advice with the aim of empowering student peers, not to treat them or ‘fix’ them.
What do I need to do?
Aside from training, reflection, supervision and feedback sessions – students must agree to mentor a student over 1 or 2 semesters.
Participation is verified both by the requirement to commit approximately 15 hours per semester to the scheme.
By proof of attendance (a register) at all mandatory training sessions (taken by the Scheme Champion). Regular feedback sessions between the Scheme Champion and the mentors both via email and if group feedback sessions. Finally, from feedback to the Scheme Champion both during the semester and at the end of each semester from mentees. Mentees are encouraged to immediately report any issues they have with their mentors and anonymously, at the end of the semester, how effective they found the program. This would not track how “well” the student has carried out these duties but would confirm their attendance and ongoing commitment.
What training do I need to complete?
Attendance to 6 hours of training is mandatory and recorded by the Scheme Champion. Funds to support this scheme have been received from the School of Health Sciences.
Mentors receive training on peer-mentoring for mental health/wellbeing. They will be trained on establishing and maintaining rules and boundaries, what a Mentor is and is not and on the effective management of difficult situations. Their learning and personal skills development will be supported through the use of supervision and collective reflection sessions.
As a Moving on Group (MOG) Facilitator you will be providing a consistent, supportive environment to other students to share difficulties and explore them in the presence of peers with the aim to support attendees to find new ways forward. You can remain in the Moving on Group Leader role for 2 or even 3 consecutive years if you choose to.
Recruitment to this role is only via engagement with the Counselling and Mental Health Service. Facilitators will be service users of the Counselling and Mental Health Service and have attended therapeutic groups, been an active member of the Moving on Group, before pursuing the role of facilitator.
What do I need to do?
As a Moving on Group Facilitator you will:
What training do I need to complete?
All MOG facilitators (with the exception of the LGBTQ+) will have attended one of the service’s Therapy Groups before registering their interest in becoming a facilitator. All facilitators will have been supported in some way by the Counselling and Mental Health Service. You then need to be trained by either the Moving on Group Co-ordinator or the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS services as a Peer Support group Facilitator. Training will be provided to you.
Find out more about the MOGs (The University of Manchester)
Contact: eleni.dimitrellou@manchester.ac.uk
Sustainability Champions are students who take on an additional role promoting awareness of sustainability issues amongst their student peers to encourage environmental action. You’ll work with staff to raise awareness of opportunities to engage with sustainability across the University and Manchester.
What do I need to do?
As a Sustainability Champion you will:
What training do I need to complete?
There will be an initial briefing session to outline the University’s approach to environmental sustainability and your role. You’ll be invited to further training as required, for example on running events, social media, zero carbon, and 6R. You’ll be supported throughout the year by the Environmental Sustainability Team intern.
Find out more about becoming a Sustainability Champion
Contact: es@manchester.ac.uk
As an Entrepreneurship Champion, you will be a link between students on campus to the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre's (MEC) entrepreneurial activities. The aim of this role is for students who have a passion for learning and understanding entrepreneurship, will use their knowledge and connections to encourage students to develop their own entrepreneurial skills.
Entrepreneurship Champions are also a first point of contact for students looking to start their own businesses and wanting University support throughout their journey. Entrepreneurship Champion's activities and planned programmes are left up to their imagination to allow for innovative and creative events to be broadcasted. These could look like a workshop series or a networking social to encourage people to work on a project plan together.
What do I need to do?
As an Entrepreneurship Champion you will:
What training do I need to complete?
You will need to be trained by the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre as an Entrepreneurship Champion through an interactive online module hosted on Blackboard and then a hands-on in-person training session.
Find out more about becoming an Entrepreneurship Champion
Contact: entrepreneurship@manchester.ac.uk
As a BSc Accounting Coach Coordinator, you will coordinate and monitor a team of coaches on the BSc Accounting programme to support them in their role and develop their coaching skills. You will also contribute to a longer term strategic direction for the coaching scheme, evaluating its benefits and enhancing the scheme so that students can engage with coaching more effectively.
What do I need to do?
As a BSc Accounting Coach Coordinator you will:
What training do I need to complete?
Training will be co-ordinated by the BSc Accounting Programme Director.
Contact: reimala.sivalingam@manchester.ac.uk
As a LeadMCR Election Candidate you will be standing for a role during the Students' Union's election period. If successful this will lead you to be one of the Sabbatical officers for an academic year, ensuring the voice of students is heard.
What do I need to do?
As a LeadMCR Election Candidate you will:
What training do I need to complete?
You will particiapte in training sessions to develop the skills required for candidacy and campaigning.
Find out more about becoming a LeadMCR election Candidate
Contact: suelections@manchester.ac.uk
As a SALC Employability Champion you will be a student influencer on employability issues. You will ensure the student voice is represented in SALC to help your fellow students gain a competitive edge for the future.
Each Employability Champion takes primary responsibility for an Employability Theme.
What do I need to do?
As a SALC Employability Champion you will:
What training do I need to complete?
You will particiapte in training sessions to develop the skills required.
Contact: Maria-Ruth.Morello@manchester.ac.uk
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