About us
Be a Champion is run by the NUS, supported by Podium and funded by Coca-Cola and HEFCE. Find out more about who we are below.
NUS
NUS (National Union of Students) is a voluntary membership organisation which makes a real difference to the lives of students and its member students’ unions. We are a confederation of 600 students’ unions, amounting to more than 95 per cent of all higher and further education unions in the UK. Through our member students’ unions, we represent the interests of more than seven million students.
Our mission is to promote, defend and extend the rights of students and to develop and champion strong students’ unions.
Our vision is of NUS as a pioneering, innovative and powerful campaigning organisation: the national voice of students. We will fight barriers to education, empower students to shape both a quality learning experience and the world around them, supporting influential, democratic and well-resourced students’ unions. www.nus.org.uk
Podium
PODIUM is the Further and Higher Education Unit for the 2012 Games. The Unit has a nationwide remit and has three major aims:
- To communicate both within the sectors and with outside agencies about the potential for universities and colleges to support the successful staging and delivery of the London 2012 Games and to help create a wide reaching and lasting legacy.
- To facilitate collaborative work and the sharing of best practice within the sectors (and their communities) in order to develop projects and events which maximise the benefits of hosting the 2012 Games.
- To work with institutions to use the 2012 Games as a catalyst to enhance existing activity and place the Further and Higher Education sectors in the global spotlight.
Podium provides an environment that brings relevant parties together, encourages discussion and helps to facilitate work in collaboration. The Unit supports the development of Paralympic and Olympic related activities and projects which involve the FE and HE sectors. www.podium.ac.uk
Coca-Cola
The Coca-Cola Company has been continuously associated with the Olympic Games since 1928 – longer than any other corporate sponsor of the Olympic Movement. The Company works with National Olympic Committees in more than 200 countries to help athletes train and compete. More than 90 percent of Coca-Cola’s investment in the Olympic Games is directed to athlete development and to assist in staging the Games. Products of The Coca-Cola Company refresh athletes, volunteers, officials and spectators during the Olympic Games. The Coca-Cola Company is the exclusive nonalcoholic beverage provider to the Olympic Games through to 2020.
The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with nearly 500 sparkling and still brands. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world’s most valuable brand, the Company’s portfolio includes 12 other billion-dollar brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, Glaceau vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid and Georgia Coffee. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company’s beverages at a rate of nearly 1.6 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.coca-cola.co.uk
HEFCE
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) distributes public money for teaching and research to universities and colleges. In doing so, it aims to promote high quality education and research, within a financially healthy sector.
The Council also plays a key role in ensuring accountability and promoting good practice.
Since 2005, they have been working to inform, co-ordinate and support the HE sector’s response to the opportunities the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games present. They have targeted specific activities that enhance the sector’s contribution to the 2012 Games and new areas of work which will have a life after they are over – providing a lasting legacy. Further information can be found at www.hefce.ac.uk/aboutus/olympics