1. Home
  2. •
  3. Activists
  4. •
  5. UCU training
  6. •
  7. Courses in the Northern region
  8. •
  9. Your union, your voice - A taster course for activists: November 2025

Your union, your voice - A taster course for activists: 21, November 2025, Northern region, In person, Newcastle

Join us to explore how UCU's democratic structure empowers you to make a difference. Discover why unions matter more than ever, learn about effective campaigns, and find practical ways to get your voice heard and drive real change, through your activism.

You may have attended one of UCU's CPD days and are keen to get involved locally, or want UCU to benefit from work you do in the wider community. Perhaps you campaign for a local organisation and would like to bring those skills to your local branch, or perhaps you have considered getting more involved, but the time was never right.

You are committing to nothing by attending this course however, we hope it will encourage you to get more involved; if not, you will have had the opportunity to learn a little more about the organisation of which you are an integral part.

Course details

Nation/region:Northern 
Course meeting dates: 21, November, 2025

Please ensure you can attend the entire course prior to submitting your application  form. Please further ensure you have secured time off from your employer to attend.
Course meeting times:9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Course time commitment:6-7 hours
Location:TBC 

Applications for this course will at 12 Noon on Wednesday 19th November 2025. This is to allow course logistics, refreshments, accommodation etc. to be completed in good time. Applications after this date risk not being accepted

Course content

This course will cover the following:  

  • UCU democratic structure - how do you fit in?  
  • Why are unions more important than ever? 
  • What makes a good campaign? 
  • How can I effect change?  
  • Member involvement - how to get your voice heard?  
  • Informal and formal organising - how can I contribute?  
  • Why I am my union?

If you are a very new UCU rep and want to join this course prior to completing your Rep1 induction, please feel free to apply.

UCU courses are funded via members' contributions and public funding.

Once registered you will receive a generic holding automatic response about UCU courses in general. About a week later you will receive an email telling you that you have a place, and from there you will receive course reminders and meeting links from your tutor.

You must be a UCU member to attend.

Information  Please note. Facility time will generally not apply if you are not an elected UCU representative.

Facility time

Online courses are no different to face-to-face courses in terms of time off for training. Time off for training is a right and one which should be exercised as part of normal industrial relations. For more info please see  Facilities and time off for UCU reps.

When you apply for a course we will assume that are making a commitment to attend the course as advertised, and have secured time off from your employer. Please contact your branch/region if you are having problems securing time off.