Open SU is proud to support and represent students from all four home nations, and those studying internationally, and we know that study and life experiences can look very different depending on where students live, work and learn. That’s why we’re committed to understanding these differences more deeply, and making sure our activities reflect the needs of students across the UK, not just those closest to Milton Keynes.
Over the summer, we were delighted to complete a tour of the three Celtic nations, visiting the Wales office in July, the Belfast office in August and the Edinburgh office in September. These visits gave us the chance to:
- Build stronger connections across different parts of the organisation.
- Explore new ways of collaborating so that student issues and ideas in each nation can be heard and acted on.
- Grow student community activity within the nations through collaboration.
- Understand national policy landscapes and how they shape the student experience.
- Identify future opportunities to work together.
Although the tour has only recently concluded, we’re already seeing exciting outcomes. Work is now underway on:
- Nation‑specific student voice panels for Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
- More coordinated community activities between Open SU and the nations.
- Support for local policy engagement.
- Sharing devolved policy insights to better equip Student Representatives.
- Regular staff and Student Leadership engagement to spot opportunities, support existing initiatives and strengthen relationships.
This work marks an exciting step forward for Open SU. It brings our activities closer to students in the nations, and helps ensure that our approach reflects the diversity of experiences across the UK. We’re optimistic about what comes next and know that these partnerships will only continue to grow.
A huge thank you to everyone at the Wales, Belfast and Edinburgh offices for your time, hospitality and enthusiasm. We truly appreciate it and look forward to working even more closely together in the months ahead.
