Struggling to stick to your New Year Resolutions? There’s a society to help you

The 1^st of January 2012 must seem like a long time ago now. You’ve since left the womb-like comfort of home, returned to your damp student digs and endured a stressful exam period. Regrettably, but understandably, you’ve given up on your New Years Resolution, haven’t you? Well there’s no better time to get back on track, new term, new you, and all that. And I propose that there’s a society to help you on your way, whatever your goal.

I bet the resolution that tops most peoples lists is to ‘Get in Shape’. Yes, you could go and throw hundreds of pounds at a gym membership you probably won’t use, but I’d suggest you take up something a little different to keep you interested. How about Dodgeball?

For those of you seeking to expand your limited linguistics, why not take up the language of love and learn a little French? The Francophone Society can help you out. Or perhaps you’d like to inject a little culture into your life? Let the Manchester Art Group show you how.

If you’re planning on world domination this year, why not introduce your musical talents to Biko Records to get your first step on the ladder of fame, or perhaps pootle along to a Travel Society talk and find out how to plan your around-the-world trip?

If money’s your thing, let the Manchester Entrepreneurs teach you how to make a buck, or perhaps get raising money for some worthwhile charities with RAG so you can make a different to someone’s life in 2012.

There’s something for everyone, and joining a society really can help you to achieve some really amazing things during your time at university, so I call on you all to venture out and sign up to meet some amazing people, and make 2012 your best year yet!

Get in Shape – Dodgeball Society

Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Dodge your way to fitness in 2012!

If the vast quantities of Christmas dinner leftovers you’ve consumed recently are weighing heavily on your scales, you may have considered trying to lose a bit of weight to help end that pesky Christmas dry-spell. If you’re bored of looking like a weirdo running by yourself on the street, can’t stand being near the steroid-filled specimens at your local gym, or in fact just want to have a bit of fun, Dodgeball is the sport for you! Come along to our sessions at Denmark Road Sports Development Centre on Mondays 5-6pm and Wednesdays 4-5pm, join in our high-energy 2 minute games and have a laugh, all for the ridiculously low cost of just £1.

DISCLAIMER: Manchester University Dodgeball Society accepts no responsibility for weight-gain caused by alcohol consumption at our fortnightly socials.

Learn a Language – Francophone Society

If your New Year’s resolution is to learn a language, then why not sign up to French classes with the Francophone Society? Among all the languages of the world, there are 3 very good reasons why you should start learning French…

1) It’s the language of love

2) There are 30 countries, spanning 4 continents, where French is an official language

3) The Francophone Society offers free French lessons to all its members!

So if you’re keen, send an email to [email protected] with your name and whether you’re interested in beginner or intermediate classes (or the discussion group if you already speak French), and we’ll help you keep at least one of your New Year’s resolutions!

Get Cultured – Manchester Art Group

We are an undergraduate collective from Art History and Visual Studies department at Manchester University. We aim to provide you with the chance to be involved with the wider art community both in Manchester and beyond.

This year you can ‘get cultured’ by joining us! So far we’ve been organizing a student social for the Cotton exhibition at the Whitworth Gallery, talks with contemporary artists and writers, visits to galleries and we’re also curating our own exhibition!

Like our Facebook page (Manchester Art Group), follow us on twitter, (@McrArtGroup) or look at our blog (manchesterartgroup.tumblr.com) to get involved!

Get Famous – Biko Records

Biko Records is The University of Manchester’s student-run music promotion body that’s here to help make you famous! Musician? Send us your music via Soundcloud, Facebook, or whatever the kids are using these days and we’ll give it a listen, whether its neo-folk with tinges of post-modern indie or electronica-influenced post-hardcore with ska undertones, we are pretty open minded.

What’s the point of this? We team up with charities and other organizations to put on events featuring live music. In addition we also handle (almost) everything music related, for example, we are looking to get hold of contacts for recording studios, practice spaces and anything else we can help you with. So whether you’re a band, solo musician, promoter, charity, or just want to get involved in what we do, drop us an email at [email protected] or find us on Facebook and we’ll be in touch!

See the World – Travel Society

You could challenge yourself to lose weight this year, but let’s be honest, it’s no fun and down right dull. Surely, promising yourself to ‘See the world’ is much more appealing?

It’s a resolution you can actually stick to this time. It’s just a question of when to go, how to go about it and how much it costs. Travelling the world in one year is may be a challenge; but you can still make a start. MUTS (Manchester University Travel Society) holds talks every other Tuesday, where members talk about different countries they’ve visited. You can get information from people who have first-hand experience including places to go, things to avoid and how to budget your trip. If you don’t have time to organise your own trip, you can always sign up to ones we’ve organised – the next trip is to Berlin! So join the Facebook page and check out our website to start your year of adventure, www.mutravelsociety.co.uk.

Make Money – Manchester Entrepreneurs

Before expanding on best ways to become successful. Let me start with a simple analogy – How do you learn a language? I am sure majority would agree that by being in the environment where that language is spoken.

Money, fame or power is nothing but another language and once a person understands it the process of self-education can begin. At Manchester Entrepreneurs we give regular students like you the opportunity to learn from the best and be surrounded by people with similar hunger for success. Join us on Facebook @Manchester Entrepreneurs or on Twitter @Man_Entrepreneurs to find out more about our events.

Manchester Entrepreneurs – ‘Educating and supporting students on their way to success.’

Make a Difference – Save the world! With Manchester RAG…

We are the official fundraising arm of the Students’ Union. We’re involved in all manner of fundraising, volunteering and general do-gooding, and have a whole host of events this term, which will make an impact on some of the world’s most worthy causes. We’re currently helping Oxfam recruit students to volunteer at Leeds this summer. As well as a free ticket to the festival, you can sleep easy in the knowledge your work is helping to raise dosh for global projects fighting poverty and injustice. For the more sporting amongst you, we’re running a charity cycle ride from London to Paris in aid of Practical Action, Breast Cancer Campaign, and Hope for Children. Looking to make an impact closer to home? We’ve got discounted student prices for the Great Manchester Run in aid of The Christie. As well as our specific charity partners, we run events like Bogle, a 22 hour walk around Greater Manchester which students can do for any worthy cause! For more information on these and other events, make sure you check out our website, www.manchesterrag.com.