If the history of the student movement shows us anything, it’s that where students lead, others follow. Those who founded NUS had a vision of peaceful dialogue between nations and international solidarity that still drives so many of our members today. You may not know this but it was NUS that fought for students’ access to universal healthcare in the 1930s when the NHS was still a pipe dream; it was NUS at the forefront of campaigns on Apartheid and LGBT+ and women’s rights in the 1960s and 1970s, when those were seen by those in power as eccentric or marginal causes.

 More recently, it was NUS, students’ unions and student activists who first evidenced that sexual violence and harassment were a serious issue on our campuses; who have been exposing the racial inequities in attainment and how this reflects a wider issue of a colonial education system; and who have been highlighting the increasing burden of accommodation costs and the spiralling rents in both the private and university-owned sectors.

For the current generation of students, it can seem like you’re facing challenges in every direction: the climate emergency; Brexit and the xenophobia and racism it has generated; the changing shape of employment in the coming decades; and much more. But we know that students are as determined as ever to play a part in meeting those challenges.

 Yes, times of huge change can be daunting, but we believe that, right now, by working together, as a movement of students, we can really make a difference to the lives of students today and tomorrow. Our NUS UK Plan for Action 2019/20 is already being implemented and achieving results, and you can read about what NUS has achieved in the past year for students at your union in Solent Students’ Unions NUS benefit, impact and value statement.

 We can only keep delivering for you with your involvement, which is why we’re working hard this year to involve more students, more officers and more members in our work.

We only achieve through the collective power of students and students’ unions working together. That’s why your continued membership of NUS is so important. That’s why you should vote in the referendum and help us make our plan a reality.