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rhifyn 1183 issue 1183
10 Hydref 2022 10 October 2022
gair rhydd Cardiff University’s student paper | Established 1972
Inside: Cardiff Half-Marathon: The students raising thousands of pounds for charity (Page 3)
‘Safety in numbers’: A new personal safety app is coming to Cardiff
Jasmine Edge Features Editor
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recent Cardiff graduate is using technology to help keep young people safe on the street. RouteBuddies is a new personal safety app, created by Jack Blundell; as reads on their website, it allows people to find a group to share an on-foot journey with so you can ‘find safety in numbers’ when out and about. The app is being released in Cardiff during September—just in time for Freshers. You can either create a group or join an existing one. The app creates a route that allows for each group member to be dropped off close to their destination one by one. The app does not share your inputted location; it generalises it around a radius to keep your details private. This means you will be dropped off near your destination so you can walk the last few minutes alone. The app also continues to use your location a little while after the journey to check that no one in your group has decided to try and go back and find you. If a group member is close by, you will be sent a notification to check if everything is okay. If you answer no, or do not respond, an alert will be sent to your emergency contacts who can then decide the next steps. In an interview Jack explains, ‘I think it's really important to look at this from the bad guy’s eyes. Like to look at this as, “okay, if I wanted to hypothetically attack someone what would I do?” […] If I can go on my previous trips and I can see exactly where they've been dropped off, you know, that's number one, and as well, things like making sure that they can't see people's last names [and] certainly can't Google them or Facebook them on these kinds of things.’ ID verification is required as part of the sign up to the app to ensure everyone is who they say they are. Any type of ID verification can be used— ‘if it works in a club, it will work on Route Buddies’. ‘There's been like five different versions of the app’ he says and explains how each version has been informed by advice from his friends and family. Most recently, Jack has spoken to
students and taken on board their feedback, as well as sought out advice from Women’s Aid, who suggested heavy testing before the app is released. Blundell studied software engineering at Cardiff University, and by speaking to him about other projects he has worked on, it became clear he has always been keen to find ways to use technology for the greater social good. Jacks says, ‘I’m a pretty regular 23-year-old—bit of a nerd. Like I said earlier I always wanted to do something with tech [that is] really impactful. […] after seeing all this stuff in Cardiff and around the world and around the UK it was kind of like, “ahh” this is that thing I want to do and make an impact with’. Route Buddies was born out of Jack’s frustration of seeing various posts on Cardiff Overheard from women sharing their experiences of sexual assault, or harassment in Cardiff and no clear strategy to help make the streets safer. He says, ‘The whole kind of point in this [app] is to take the power into our hands.’ There are several safety apps on the market, and in my own personal experience I’ve found them to be buggy, not easy to use, and ultimately do not make me feel much safer walking home of an evening. Jack says other apps on the market are, ‘all really different in functionality. But they will have one thing in common, which is ultimately, you're on your own. You're walking the streets alone and you're still at risk of being attacked. So, if you look at crime statistics, if you look at the famous 97% of women have experienced public sexual harassment—it's not going down because of these safety apps. So, we’re the only app in the world that actually allows you to group up your journeys for street safety.’ So, if you look at crime statistics, if you look at the famous 97% of women have experienced public sexual harassment—it's not going down because of these safety apps.
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o read Jasmine's feature on the newest saftey app aimed at freshers, turn to page 4.
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End of the 48 hour week?: Human rights activist Baroness Chakrabarti speaks at a TUC rally. Source: Steve Eason (via Flickr)
Jade Heath
Lizz Truss threatens workers’ rights
Politics Editor
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he Times reports that new Prime Minister Liz Truss could enforce a removal of EU directives aimed at protecting workers, such as the 48 hour week. Other EU-protected directives (described as ‘vital workplace protections and rights - not nice-to-haves’ by TUC leader Frances O’Grady) include
Sut i wneud y fwyaf o'ch blwyddyn gyntaf Anest Williams
equal pay for men and women, holiday pay, and parental leave which could be under threat. A review of workers’ rights is supposedly part of Truss’ ‘bonfire’ of EU laws, wherein she plans to scrap around 1,500 laws by 2024. Such decisions could potentially cause a row with the EU, which could impose tariffs on British exports. This would occur if the UK’s divergence from EU laws begins to impact trade and investment.
Releasing your inner chef at university Lucy Matthews
Golygydd Taf-od
Sport Contributor
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I ddarllen erthygl Anest am ei chyngor hi i las-fyfyrwyr eleni, trowch i dudalen 11
To read Lucy's tips on how to excell in the kitchen, turn to page 20
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Wales' Commonwealth Games Molly Openshaw
Advice Editor
aw ychydig o banig a dryswch i’m cofleidio wrth ysgrifennu’r erthygl hon, gan ystyried nad ydw i’n hollol hyderus fy hun ynglŷn â sut i weithredu’r cyngor hwn nac yn y modd y dylid trin bywyd prifysgol! Wedi dweud hynny, does dim un llwybr ystrydebol sy’n rhaid ei ddilyn er mwyn mwynhau’r profiad Serch hyn oll, dyma geisio cynnig ychydig o gyngor i lasfyfyrwyr 2022 fel rhywun sydd wedi profi wythnos y glas a’r flwyddyn gyntaf unwaith yn barod.
Though Truss is clearly aiming to distance the UK from the EU in the nation’s post-Brexit era, her ambitions demonstrate her intention to curb the power of trade unions. With the growing cost of living, this past summer has seen thousands of UK workers strike with the main goal of increasing wages. To read Jade's full article about Truss' prposed plans, turn to 9 page 9
here is nothing more tragic than the inside of a university student’s fridge that has made it to day twelve without a food shop. Once you’ve passed the neglected tinned tomatoes you will come across the feral red pepper that was destined to be put in a chicken korma but is now lying limp and lost at the back of the fridge. This is not an inspiring setting to be cooking in especially if there is simply nothing edible and of source to cook with alone.
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rom the 28th of July to the 8th of August, the Commonwealth Games took place in Birmingham. This is the third time that England has hosted the Commonwealth games, the last time being 2002 in Manchester. The Games have been held in the United Kingdom a total of seven times, with Cardiff hosting in 1958. This iteration of the Games saw 5,054 athletes competing in 280 events. Due to the high numbers of attendees, it was one of the largest sporting spectacles of the year. To read Molly's article on Wales' success, turn to page 25
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