Wednesday 10-01-2018 - 15:34

On 22nd February at Leeds University Union, NUS will host 100 delegates to learn, discuss and collaborate on the theme of ‘students and alcohol’.

Since 2014, NUS has run a programme called Alcohol Impact, designed to embed social norms of responsible drinking on campuses, change attitudes towards alcohol, and overall build healthier, safer, more inclusive, more productive student communities.

This conference is a chance for delegates to share and expand their expertise, as well as to deepen their understanding of Alcohol Impact’s work and how they can get involved. Networking with unions and universities on this issue will be central to the event; partnership work is at the heart of Alcohol Impact.

The 100 delegates – including students’ union staff and officers, university staff, and key sector professionals – will hear from a keynote by Olivia Nuttall, Head of Alcohol Strategy and Policy at the Home Office, which funded NUS’ Alcohol Impact programme in its first year. Olivia Nuttall will share key policy trends and the government’s movements relating to students and alcohol.

Another keynote will be given by Don Lavoie, Alcohol Programme Manager at Public Health England, who will discuss the demographics of student drinkers, associated harms, and steps for improvement.

Over the course of the day, Alcohol Impact partnerships and academics will showcase their work and recommend effective interventions for universities around changing alcohol cultures. 

Delegates will also hear from Izzy Lenga, NUS’s Vice President for Welfare, and Chloe Sparks, the Welfare Officer at Leeds University Union.

We will be updating the website with our key learnings from the conference – hopefully including a lot of helpful tips for furthering healthy change relating to alcohol at your university.

Find out more about Alcohol Impact, and sign your institution up!