‘A Boobette talk and a boob suit introduced us to CoppaFeel!’ – Ellie & Jess’ Journey with CoppaFeel!

Why we joined CoppaFeel!’s mission

Ellie: I knew I wanted to be a part of the charity when I was at university and share the importance of knowing your body. After I was made aware of Coppafeel! from the Sixth form talk, I knew I wanted to be a part of the charity and thought that university would be a great place to do this. I love being a part of the Uni Boob Team as it gives me and others the opportunity to make a difference not just within our university but also to Coppafeel! I understand the difference that knowing your body can have on your life when you’re young and after a year with the society during my second year, I leaped at the opportunity to be the society’s president and a CoppaFeel! team leader. It has certainly been an experience I will never forget.

Jess: Joining the Uni Boob Team provided me a way to connect with communities on campus, especially whilst learning virtually. Inspired by the boobette talk in Sixth Form, I joined the University of Birmingham’s Uni Boob Team in my first term at university in September 2020. Breast cancer awareness is a really personally important cause to me, so I was so excited to get stuck in! As one of the years hardest hit by Covid-19, joining the Uni Boob Team zooms and virtual activities was one of my only ways of connecting with communities on campus, even if it had to be from my accommodation. The University of Birmingham’s Uni Boob Team was a brilliant way to make friends while making an impact on campus as a volunteer! I decided to become a committee member this year during my third and final year of my Bachelors Degree as I wanted to become as involved as possible with a society that has meant so much to me during my time at University.

Our UBT achievements

Our Uni Boob Team has reached over 2000 students and raised over £1400 for CoppaFeel! Over the past academic year, our UBT have worked really hard to build our presence on campus, with our biggest event being a ‘Sports Night’ Takeover during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which involved over 2000 students wearing pink, and raised over £1400 for CoppaFeel! We then won CoppaFeel’s BCAM award, and the Guild of Students’ Society of the Month award for October for this fundraising event. We have run stalls at UoB’s Freshers Fair, Re-Freshers Fair, Give-it-a-Go Fair, Societies Night, and Volunteering Fair, helping us broaden our reach among the student cohort and help students get stuck in with volunteering on campus.  We were UoB Netball’s chosen charity for ‘Intercept’, our annual BUCS netball event, and ran a stall for spectators to come and find out about the Uni Boob Team. Finally, we were nominated for three awards at the annual Guild Awards, including the Ian King Award for Society of the Year. We are so proud of all that we have achieved so far this year, and cannot wait to see what the rest of the year will bring!

What’s Next

Celebrating our achievements and handing over the Uni Boob Team to the next leader! 

Coming up in the next few months we have the important task of selecting next year’s committee and helping them get ready to take on the responsibility of the UBT in September. Also we are hoping to celebrate the academic year and everyone’s hard work with a Pink Party, full of activities and glitter! Also for those that want to take off their dancing shoes and put on their trainers instead, we are oragnising a fun run for the summer term.