The Eamon O'Kane NASUWT Young Activist of the Year 2012
Every year the NASUWT call for nominations for the Young Activist of the Year. The winner of the Young Activist award, sponsored by UIA Home Insurance (new window), are then presented with the award at the NASUWT Annual Conference. This is an excellent opportunity for a young member to experience a broad range of NASUWT activities.
Young Activist of the Year -background
Making a nomination to the 2013 Young Activist of the Year Award.
Every year the NASUWT acknowledges the outstanding activity amongst the Union's young members, by presenting an award to the winner of the Young Activist of the Year. Nominations for young activists of the year are usually made by a local association or Regional Committee to acknowledge the outstanding contribution to the NASUWT in the local area and sometimes nationally, that a young member has made. Nominations for the 2013 Young Activist of the Year will be open from the early part of 2013, keep browsing this page for further information.
The Winner of the 2012 Young Activist of the Year Award.
At the NASUWT Annual Conference in 2012, Suzanne Rule from Rugby and East Warwickshire Local Association received the award as the NASUWT Young Activist of the Year for 2012.
Suzanne is a 25 year old teacher at Paddox Primary School in Rugby. She has received the Young Activist of the Year Award for her tireless efforts on behalf of NASUWT members within her school, but also for her growing stature as a NASUWT representative both in the West Midlands Region and at a national level.
Heightened the NASUWT's profile
Suzanne initially started engaging with the NASUWT through the Union's new teacher seminars on her qualification from teacher training. Primarily she attended one of the Preparing for your First Teaching Post seminars in August 2010 and followed this up with attendance at further new teacher seminars in November 2010 and June 2011. At these seminars she asked pointed questions from the floor as a delegate and spoke about the need for young teachers to get involved in the Union. Suzanne has since become the Workplace Rep, health and safety rep and learning rep within her school where previously the school didn't have an active NASUWT representative.
Helped to increase the membership of the NASUWT
As well as actively recruiting teachers in her school into the NASUWT, Suzanne has also used her role as workplace rep to ensure her local cluster of primary schools are fully represented and supported. She has become the Member Secretary for her local association and as part of this role she has been updating the Rugby and East Warwickshire associations membership database, partly to ensure member participation in recent national industrial action. Suzanne is also a delegate to the Warwickshire Federation and has become a valued contributor to federation wide debates.
Further Information about the 2012 Young Activist Award Winner
Regional and National work
As well as her efforts for the Union within her school, local association and federation, Suzanne has become increasingly active within the West Midlands Region and within various national forums. Suzanne has become the Deputy Chair of the NASUWT West Midlands Recruitment Committee and within this role has undertaken research about why some young teachers do not get active within the Union. The research she undertook has been shared with West Midlands local associations within efforts to form strategies across the region to increase participation from young teacher members within the local union.
Suzanne has also been a first time speaker on a number of motions to the West Midlands Regional Conference and has worked to ensure young teachers voices within the region are heard and what the NASUWT offers young teachers is both relevant and appealing.
On a national level Suzanne has become a member of the Young Members Advisory Committee, which works together to plan the annual NASUWT Young Teachers Consultation Conference. Suzanne also attended the march within Birmingham on the day of national industrial action on 30 November 2011. On the same day Suzanne spoke on the platform at the National Indoor Arena regarding the issues facing teachers and the reasons teachers were taking strike action, alongside established Union leaders, she was also interviewed for the BBC News 24 regarding the national action.
Read more about Suzanne winning the Young Activist of the Year Award and her thoughts about winning the Young Activist Award.
Award Sponsors
The NASUWT Young Activist of the Year Award is sponsored by UIA Home Insurance (new window), and has been for a number of years. UIA provides free home insurance for a year as part of the prize and donates some funding to the NASUWT towards some of the costs specifically related to activity undertaken as part of the Young Activist of the Year role throughout the year. The presentation of an award and the ceremony in general is a great opportunity to celebrate the work of the NASUWT. The UIA also support all members by offering competitive home insurance http://www.nasuwtinsurance.co.uk.
