► Raise and Give
What is it?
RAG stands for Raising And Giving.
As a soon to be registered charity with the charity commission, and given the nature of our mission objectives, we understand the necessity to aid and assist other individuals, rather than just ourselves in order for them to reach their greatest potential without the pressure of financial, emotional and economical restraints.
We as the Students’ Union believe that everyone should be treated equally, without discrimination or prejudice, and believe that the student community as well as the local community have a responsibility to support, respect each other and do whatever they see fit to raise the profile and quality of living, lifestyle and well-being of their community’s members.
Last year saw a large amount of the student body giving up a great amount of their personal time and energy to making a difference to the lives of people in need.
Some examples of these included Meningitis UK and Tsunami Aid.
If you have a charity you are passionate about or a cause you feel needs support and would like to organise activities to do so then contact the RAG officer on sucommunity@chi.ac.uk, the Volunteering and Activities Co-ordinator-Casper Beade on d.beade@chi.ac.uk, the SU website-www.chisu.org/RaGcommittee or just pop into the SU offices above the Zee Bar.
RAG Activities
In the past our RAG events have raised much needed funds for a number of charities including Breast Cancer, British Heart Foundation, Children on the edge and Dreams come true.
Throughout the year there are a number of traditional activities organised with the specific aim of raising as much money as possible for the chosen charity:
RAG Fest
RAGfest is an all day festival type event consisting of all sorts of fun and crazy activities and music across all styles and genres. It is one of our biggest and most successful events bringing together students and the local community. The day has seen students come together to perform, volunteer or just for something to do and raised easily over £1000 last year in the process!
The day includes such entertainment as face painting, t-shirts / badges / wristbands, collections, sponsored waxing, busking, foods of various cultures, head shaving, sponsored kisses, dance competitions, circus acts, Olympic games including sack racing, tossing the wellie and much, much more.
RAG Race
.jpg)
Our most well-known, most prolific and enjoyable event of the student calendar! It is a day when everybody dresses up in fancy dress (which some students spend months making themselves!!!) and go on a specific route (set by ourselves at the Union) around the town of Bognor Regis to a previously selected number of licensed public houses and food outlets, all who have given a charitable donation to be involved in the day’s events.
We have seen a steady increase over the past couple of years of venues getting involved with at least fourteen donating including such companies as Subway and Weather spoons in 2011.
The day is an enjoyable one by all, ranging from the students, the venue owners as well as the local residents of the Bognor Regis town, so much so that it has now become a tradition that has happened for at least 20 years.
Due to this we have seen the number of attendees rise steadily each year with individuals coming from near and far. Last year (2011) we had a minimum of 3000 people involved and had nothing but positive comments received ranging from how much fun people had had to how well the event itself had been organised and ran.
In running the event, the Students’ Union, through past event experience, well-practised duty of care, policies and procedures, liaising with Arun District Council, the local police force, West Sussex highway and our own University’s student support services, all necessary precautions and expectations of every eventuality is carefully considered and prepared for, with student welfare being the number one priority on the day through education and the constant promotion and access to information ensuring that the students have a safe and enjoyable experience.
Each time the RAG Race has been organised has seen the amount of funds rise steadily, with £2200 being raised in 2008, £2900 in 2009, £4900 in 2010 and £9000 in 2011.
RAG Dodgeball
Exactly what it says on the tin! It is a fancy dress tournament with 16 teams pitting themselves head to head against each other in a bid to win the title of dodge ball champions! Each individual who enters pays a charitable donation for entering and competes within a team of 6 persons in a typical knock out style competition. The event is fully enjoyed by all and has gained so much acclaim and recognition that it now has its very own place on the annual calendar of traditional RAG events.
RAG Sports Calendar
The sports calendar is an annual fundraising activity organised by the Union that involves all our sports clubs doing their bit for the charity of the year. Each club gets a photo taken to coincide with each month of the year. The calendar is tailored in such a way that it caters for both the male and female population, at the same time being a cheeky, good humoured way of fundraising. In 2011, the calendar raised almost £1000 alone.
RAG Committee
Every year a student is elected democratically by the student body to lead the Union in its fundraising activities. This year sees a change in the way RAG moves forward with the implementation of a new RAG Committee. This committee has been created to not only assist the RAG officer but also to have more of a student voice and allow more of you to actively engage in fundraising.
For more information about the committee contact the RAG officer on sucommunity@chi.ac.uk, the Volunteering and Activities Co-ordinator-Casper Beade on d.beade@chi.ac.uk, the SU website-www.chisu.org/RaGcommittee or just pop into the SU offices above the Zee Bar.
