Annual Conference held for Students and Staff

Building on the success of Newman University’s ‘unconference’ last year, this year’s learning and teaching conference, which is taking place today and tomorrow, is in the form of a Big Conversation, focusing on Equality, Diversity and Social Justice at Newman.

All students and staff were invited to the conference to contribute their thoughts and ideas, with the conference beginning with storytelling between attendees, looking to answer questions such as What’s your story? How did you come to be at Newman doing what you are doing? What are your experiences of inequality, lack of diversity or injustice? What is your experience of diversity? Why do you think equality and diversity are important? What does equality mean to you? What does social justice mean to you? How does equality, diversity and social justice shape your life and work?

This was followed by establishing principles and devising plans for action across the two day conference. Themes, which were established from the conversations, included mental health, perceptions of students, diversity, invisible barriers, spaces to talk, and many others. Over the course of the conference students and staff will discuss each theme as well as look to design a university of equality, diversity and social justice.

Tomorrow students and staff at the University will look at how they can present their ideas back to the University and how they can individually and collectively move their community forwards.