How it works
Collectives follow a simple but powerful model that feeds directly into SU democracy:
Connect
Attend welcoming events and safe-space discussions to build community with those who share your lived experience.
Collective Stand-Ups
Share and explore the challenges affecting your group. These sessions create space to reflect, build confidence, and uncover themes that matter most in ways that feel most comfortable to you. This is your space to own and use how you need it.
Propose
With SU support from your Student Officers, you’ll co-create proposals through our Make a Change platform, using your voice to influence university policy, culture, or resource allocation.
Act
From here, a few things may happen. The SU will action your priority - meaning it is fast tracked because it needs no more deliberation to get going. It becomes part of what the SU believes in and stands for, OR it will be labelled as a belief - these proposals are taken to Student Forum, discussed and voted on by fellow students, and — if passed — turned into actionable change by your elected officers and SU staff.
Why Collectives?
Marginalised students often face unique barriers that aren’t addressed by mainstream campaigns or committees. These spaces exist to:
- Create solidarity and confidence among underrepresented groups
- Provide structured, supported ways to shape change from lived experience
- Make sure student democracy is inclusive, not just loud
Current Collectives
- Care Experienced & Estranged Students’ Collective - for students who have been in care or are estranged from their families to find connection and peer support.
- Celtic students collective – for student with Celtic heritage or interest—including Cornish, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Manx, and Breton students—by offering a space to celebrate shared culture, language, and identity.
- Culturally Diverse Students’ Collective – for students from culturally diverse backgrounds who don’t see themselves represented in an existing society, offering a space to share experiences, celebrate identity, and build solidarity across different heritages.
- Disabled Students’ Collective - for students with all disabilities or long-term health conditions to connect with others who share similar experiences
- Interfaith Students’ Collective – for students of all or no faith who haven’t found a local society, to create shared belonging and raise faith-based concerns within Forum
- Men’s Student Collective (Wellbeing-themed) - for male (and male identifying) students to connect around shared experiences, support each other, and explore wellbeing in an open, welcoming environment.
- Neurodivergent Students’ Collective – for students who are neurodiverse to find shared understanding and connection.
- Commuter Students' Collective -for students who travel in to campus to connect, share experiences, and build community on campus.
- Postgraduate and Mature Students’ Collective - for taught and research students, students aged 21+, or returning to study later in life to meet and connect with others outside their course or department and navigate university with different life experiences.
- Student Carers’ Collective - for students who care for someone at home, offering a place to feel understood and supported by others in similar roles.
- Trans & Non-Binary Students’ Collective - for trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse students to connect and find belonging.
- Women Students’ Collective – for female (and female identifying) students to come together to share experiences, support one another, and build community.
Get Involved
Collectives are open to any student who self-identifies with that group. You don’t need experience in campaigning or leadership — just curiosity, care, and a willingness to speak from your experience.
Join a Collective
You can join a collective at anytime. To join, you can attend one of their meet ups and stay up-to-date by joining the dedicated WhatsApp group.
Come to an Event
Come to one-off events or get more involved year-round
Start a Collective
Don't see a collective that meets your needs? We're open to new ideas as we develop our collectives so please get in touch if you would benefit from a space to make change happen!
Collaboation
We also work closely with societies where students have already built community through shared experiences — helping bring their voices into SU decision-making too.
What is Student Forum?
Student Forum is the new way of doing Union democracy and is replacing the traditional student council approach! This is an open meeting with a set agenda, facilitated by two co-chairs. Any student can attend and vote on the matters discussed, which will include the three most popular Make-A-Change proposals! This is your opportunity to discuss, debate and vote on proposals, hold your Presidents accountable and ensure your voice is heard!
We recognise that for change to be impactful, it must come from collective action and decision-making. Our collectives are safe spaces for marginalised groups of students to come together and discuss ideas and barriers in your student experience. These groups will connect you with other people like you and hopefully give you the support and confidence to make your voice heard by using Make a Change and coming to Forum meetings.Collectives are open to anyone who identifies with the group identity, such as LGBTQ+ students, neurodivergent students, disabled students, and more. There will be a calendar of activity for the collectives which might be a guest speaker,a workshop linked to information or support available to the group of students.
What is Make A Change?
Make a Change is a tool which allows you to submit ideas which will then be voted on and if approved acted on by our Presidents, Executive Committee and student volunteers. Other students can up-vote your idea on the website and the three most popular ideas will be taken to forum! The Executive Committee will also meet to sort the ideas into "beliefs" and "actions".
Actions are ideas that can be easily implemented and do not need a wider student debate whereas beliefs are things that require student opinion and will need to be voted on at forum!
Real Impact
"In 2024/25, a student who attended a Trans Students’ Collective meetup heard concerns about the lack of gender-neutral toilets across campus. From that conversation, they developed a proposal that was passed by students at Forum. As a result, your SU Presidents asked FX Plus to conduct a full audit of toilet provision across the Penryn and Falmouth campuses. A map was created so students could locate gender-neutral facilities on campus. These facilities are also now a required consideration in all new builds and improvements planned by FX Plus. This shows how student voice, rooted in shared experience, can lead to structural change that improves inclusivity for everyone."
Student-led, collective action works. You bring the lived insight — we bring the tools, support, and platforms for change. We can't do this without you. Get connected, stand up for what you believe in and get your voice heard.
Other Ways to Connect