Log your Spirit of Sussex Award points this spring
Posted on behalf of: Student Communications
Last updated: Monday, 6 March 2023
The Spirit of Sussex Award scheme recognises your efforts in co-curricular activities alongside your studies – including working part-time, attending events, developing your skills through training or joining campaigns that make positive changes for the community.
Through the award scheme, we hope you are encouraged to take part in your wider community, build meaningful connections and try new things. Students who achieve the award can obtain a university-accredited certificate to showcase future employers.
For final-year undergraduates, the submission deadline to achieve a Spirit of Sussex Award before summer graduation is 1 April 2023.
Check out our events below to start logging before the deadline:
- 7 March – Spirit of Sussex Award: level up
- 8 March – Disabled students information fair
- 13 March – One World Week: express yourself through podcasts, vlogs and blogs
- 14 March – Mature students skills day
Benefits of the award
From our evaluation feedback, students who participate in co-curricular activities alongside their studies feel confident in public speaking and communication, collaboration, leadership and building networks. Correlating data also shows that underrepresented students attain a first or a 2:1 at a higher rate than their peers, as shown below:
- 74% felt a strong sense of belonging and connection to the University since completing the award (2022 final-year data)
- 92% of UK Black and Minority Ethnic participants attained a 1st or 2:1 degree compared with 81% of their UK peers in the Sussex general population (2022 undergraduate final-year data)
- 95% of UK disabled award participants attained a 1st or 2:1 degree compared with 86% of their UK peers in the Sussex general population (2022 undergraduate final-year data).
The Spirit of Sussex Award aims to create a sense of belonging and to inspire confidence in its award participants.
Mahima Mehra, a Masters in Poverty and Development graduate, received a Gold Spirit of Sussex Award. Mahima reflected that logging points and going through the award levels “helped [her] realise that everything [she] did, big or small, mattered and made a difference”.
Big or small, one or 10 hours. Start logging your points today.