In July, members of the SU student council, student trustees, and other student representatives set off on an exciting road trip to Cardiff to visit the heart of Welsh democracy, the Senedd.
While the visit itself was inspiring, it also raised a difficult but necessary question. Is SU democracy truly meaningful, or has it become just a performative gimmick?
At the Senedd, we were given a front-row seat to Welsh politics in action. From stepping inside the influential Committee rooms where major decisions are debated, to seeing the new chamber being built in anticipation of an expanded 96 member Senedd, it was a day shaped by themes of participation, progress, and purpose.
These aren’t just political buzzwords, they’re principles that should underpin how we run our own student democracy.
Our guide, Joel, offered not just history, but insight. The Senedd’s iconic wavy roof, made from Welsh slate and steel, was designed to symbolize the constant motion of water, and by extension, politics. “You can never stand in the same river twice,” he reminded us. Politics is meant to evolve, respond, and move. When it stops, it stagnates.
That metaphor hit home. It applies not just to national democracy, but to the student level too.
Representation that makes a difference
One of the day’s standout moments was our meeting with Lesley Griffiths MS for Wrexham.
As she prepares to retire after a long career in public service, she reflected on some of the legislation she’s most proud of, including the law that requires food hygiene ratings to be clearly displayed in restaurant windows in Wales. It’s a small change with big, visible impact. And in her words, “something you can measure, see, and feel.”
That’s exactly what student democracy needs to strive for outcomes you can measure, see, and feel. Small, tangible wins that show we’re not just talking about change, we’re making it happen.
Here’s the reality. The Student Council exists to question, advocate, and influence. But similarly to national politics, SU democracy is often met with disinterest. Elections have low turnout. Awareness of council work is limited. And even council members themselves sometimes wonder, are we really making a difference?
The answer is yes, but only if we make student democracy visible, engaging, and rewarding.
What if representation came with real world value? Not just policy wins, but recognisable moments and experiences. Here at Wrexham, we are looking to launch initiatives like:
Student Councillor of the Month, recognising those who go above and beyond.
Council led educational trips, like this one to the Senedd, to deepen political understanding.
Utilising “You Said, We Did” boards, so students can clearly see the impact of their voice, and representatives can see the change they have created.
Educational training sessions regarding political action, meaning actions such as protest and lobbying.
These aren’t flashy distractions. They’re ways of reinforcing that student democracy is active, responsive, and real. They connect policy to people, meetings to movements, and small-scale democracy to national democracy.
I see this as a start to something much bigger. On our visit, the student representatives learnt how to lobby the Senedd, and contact their politicians on a national level, two vital parts of creating a wider democratic impact.
From symbol to substance
So, is SU democracy just symbolic?
It can be. But it doesn’t have to be. The trip showed us that democracy, at every level, only works when people believe in it. That belief must be earned.
If we make SU democracy more visible, more rewarding, and more connected to both real life issues and real student lives, it becomes more than representation, it becomes relevance.
It’s not just about giving students a voice, it’s about giving them reasons to use it. Real rewards. Visible progress. Experiences that stay with them long after the council term ends.
I think to do this we must all ask what more we can do, how can we make our student democrats a bit more Griffith MS, and make them savour the change they produce.
We can engage and interconnect our local democracy with regional and national Democracy, we can encourage, support, and trust our students to lobby politicians, and generate change on a wider level.
Let’s stop asking whether SU democracy is a gimmick. Let’s prove that it’s not. Here at Wrexham, we are on a journey to re-engage our students in our democracy – join us on that journey.
