The organiser of Rent Strike explains why you should join them this weekend

This time last September I was in Ikea buying a new life. I moved into halls the next Saturday. The excitement I felt was indescribable.

Eight months later, I was withholding more than £1000 from the university and had convinced dozens of hall mates to do so too. Negotiations with management followed – we won rent reductions, freezes and a newly created accommodation bursary.

Campbell House students campaigning with Cut the Rent

One year on from my rose-tinted Ikea trip – my university experience has metamorphosed into something else. My naive optimism has been replaced by a quiet determination. This Friday we are holding a weekender for the many students around the country who have shown us support this past year.

We promise to share our collective knowledge on rent strikes from day one to negotiations. Have a look at our programme, we have it all covered.  Our workshops range from diverse topics such as collective care to legal advice.

I’ve only been a student for a year, but it is clear that our academic lives are not what they could be. So many of us are stressed out financially and with many of us working part time jobs, there is little time to care about, let alone try to organise rent strikes.

This is a call to arms for the future. Rents are only going up. UCL’s accommodation contracts, whilst a week shorter, are still approximately 1 per cent more expensive than last year. And with the government’s green paper, tuition fees are set to rise. If this is what university is like today, what will it look like in five years time?

This is why we need rent strikes and this is why you should join us this weekend. If you believe students at your university should follow suit – we created this event for you. We’ve got a party lined up , BBQs and Bloody Marys! We’ll also pay for your travel if you register on our Facebook page.

We have students from at least 25 campuses coming this weekend, and with the NUS now also supporting rent strikes 2017 will be the year student activism reclaims the headlines. Help us make it a year to remember.

The event can be found here.

Jason Murugesu is a key organiser at Rent Strike.