In a statement published on their Instagram on October 24, Reclaim Stirling confirmed that they will be pausing their campaign and stepping away due to “frustration with pushback and lack of change after years of work,” as well as the organisers no longer being students at Stirling.
Reclaim Stirling was started as a student-led campaign to tackle gender-based violence (GBV) at Stirling University, and “to challenge and make the University reconsider their strategy, to create an open dialogue between University management, the Union, societies and students to tackle an issue that is far too ingrained in our University’s culture,” according to the Reclaim Stirling website.
Key to Reclaim Stirling’s campaigning was the reports they produced, the most recent in 2023, which collected data from Scottish universities on the amount of gender-based violence taking place as well as how much disciplinary action was taken as a result.
They also organised workshops, marches, events, and other activities to bring education and change to the culture at Stirling.
Started by Jess Reid, former VP Communities at Stirling, and several others, Reclaim Stirling was consistently run by students, for students. The most recent person to take the helm was Alison Simm, supported by Amelia Armit.
“Alison took over as campaign leader in 2022 and I got involved shortly after,” Amelia told Brig. After they both graduated in 2023, Amelia stayed to do a master’s and kept managing Reclaim Stirling until she graduated in September 2024.
Amelia spoke frankly about how challenging it was to run something as important as Reclaim Stirling while juggling other responsibilities like university work and jobs, among others: “We always did our best, it just took a lot of planning.”
However, these weren’t the only barriers the campaign faced. “We certainly experienced difficulty with the university’s response, as often they did not respond or did not believe the Emily Test Charter was a worthwhile investment. It seemed that they had their idea of how to deal with GBV and did not really want to hear from students on it,” said Amelia.
The Emily Test Charter is an award that shows an institution meets a minimum standard in its response to GBV which it is believed would have been enough to save the life of an Aberdeen University student named Emily.
The University of Stirling is not currently an Emily Test Charter-accredited institution.
“We certainly received pushback from the university and occasionally the Union or other students. When passing our union motion, some students were not very supportive of the idea but ultimately it was passed” Amelia said.
“I think a lot of the issue is simply it’s a difficult issue that the uni does not truly know how to deal with or does not want to invest in genuine solutions.
“Obviously, there is a lot of business and budgeting decisions that go on behind the scenes that we will never see or understand but it’s certainly frustrating as a student to see face-value things put in place but in reality, students do not receive adequate support or initiatives that could really help.”
“I’d like to add, we’re very thankful for everyone who has supported us whether that’s simply just following our socials or attending events etc, it’s all been such a good help. I really do hope that someone else is as committed to tackling the issue at the uni and that eventually it does get better,” she added.
A University spokesperson said: “The University is committed to taking all steps in our power to prevent and tackle gender-based and sexual violence, working in partnership with the Students’ Union.
“Our joint strategy on preventing and tackling gender-based violence is nationally recognised and reflects years of partnership work with students, staff, and our community partners.
“We provide support through the training of a team of Sexual Violence and Misconduct Liaison Officers (SVMLOs), and deliver comprehensive training for students, staff, and sports club coaches and officers, instilling into University culture that sexual and gender-based violence will not be tolerated and that everyone is accountable for challenging this behaviour in all forms.
“This training includes the new Consent Matters module to provide training on sexual consent, communication and relationships, and bystander intervention. Additionally, we continue to raise awareness including through the Erase the Grey and 16 Days of Activism campaigns.
“Anyone affected by sexual or gender-based violence who needs support can speak to a SVMLO by emailing svmlo@stir.ac.uk, or by visiting the webpages for contact details of a range of external partners.”
A union Spokesperson commented: “Like those previously involved at Reclaim Stirling, the Students’ Union is committed to ensuring student safety on and off campus. We encourage all students to download the SafeZone app and we have also worked with the University on new consent and tackling harassment modules which all new students are expected to take.
“Looking ahead, the Officer team is working with the Feminist Society on a busy programme of events to tie in with 16 days of activism launching later this month, including a walk around campus, as done previously with Reclaim Stirling as well as a round table discussion”.
Featured image credit: Fourth Valley Rape Crisis Centre/Facebook
Student journalist & freelance writer. Check out Quick Play, where I review video games that are 10 hours or less.
