LJMU Events and Appointments

This session will be led by the ‘Clues in the Cues’ Project Team - Professor Amos Fatokun, Dr Bukola Fatokun and Dr Yomi Benson. This initiative, funded by the DI Fund 2023-2024, aimed to document and contextualise non-Western socio-cultural norms and values and create awareness of their influence on how students from such backgrounds learn, relate and seek support, in order to better support such students and enhance their student experience

To empower participants to be able to address the challenge, this interactive workshop will use a combination of short talks, role plays, animation videos, quizzes, and questions and answers to achieve the following:

• Increase awareness of cultural diversity.
• Help identify and correctly interpret socio-cultural clues.
• Enhance interpersonal communication.
• Promote cultural competence in academic and social contexts.
• Address and reduce cultural bias.

By the end of the workshop, participants should:

• Be able to identify the impact of cultural backgrounds on learning and the student experience
• Feel more confident interacting with and supporting students and other individuals within the university who are from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Be able to identify and adapt to cultural clues in classroom or social interactions.
• Be able to appreciate some of the university’s initiatives to improve socio-cultural awareness in a holistic, collaborative, and evidence-based manner.
• Be able to better contribute to a university environment that values and respects cultural diversity.

This set of objectives helps align the workshop with the broader goal of building an inclusive and culturally aware university community.

Flexible Work Solutions is headed up by CEO Jill Scott, an expert in equality, diversity and inclusion training and consultancy.

With a career spanning over 35 years, Jill and her team has worked for a number of higher education institutions advising them on a number of key initiatives, and leading on projects including Dignity at Work, Athena Swan and Race Equality Charter submissions. Since 2006, Jill and her team have delivered bespoke training to companies in topics specialising in issues around race and gender equality, unconscious and implicit bias, and issues around workplace bullying and harassment.

Objectives: At the end of the session, participants will:

• Understand what is meant by the terms “micro-aggressions” and “active bystander”
• Be aware of the impact of micro-aggressions on individuals
• Feel more confident to challenge micro-aggressions in a supportive but appropriate manner
• Recognise what considerations to take into account when deciding to intervene as an active bystander
• Be aware of LJMU’s support mechanisms 

Content:  

• Definition and examples of micro-aggressions
• Dimensions of power and privilege
• The impact of micro-aggressions
• How to Respond
• Barriers and Enablers to being an active bystander
• The Active Bystander Cycle
• The 4 Ds Model
• Case Study, Feedback and Discussion

Flexible Work Solutions is headed up by CEO Jill Scott, an expert in equality, diversity and inclusion training and consultancy.

With a career spanning over 35 years, Jill and her team has worked for a number of higher education institutions advising them on a number of key initiatives, and leading on projects including Dignity at Work, Athena Swan and Race Equality Charter submissions. Since 2006, Jill and her team have delivered bespoke training to companies in topics specialising in issues around race and gender equality, unconscious and implicit bias, and issues around workplace bullying and harassment.

Objectives: At the end of the session, participants will:

• Understand what is meant by the terms “micro-aggressions” and “active bystander”
• Be aware of the impact of micro-aggressions on individuals
• Feel more confident to challenge micro-aggressions in a supportive but appropriate manner
• Recognise what considerations to take into account when deciding to intervene as an active bystander
• Be aware of LJMU’s support mechanisms 

Content:  

• Definition and examples of micro-aggressions
• Dimensions of power and privilege
• The impact of micro-aggressions
• How to Respond
• Barriers and Enablers to being an active bystander
• The Active Bystander Cycle
• The 4 Ds Model
• Case Study, Feedback and Discussion

Aim:
To equip LJMU staff with an understanding of how conscious inclusion positively impacts student experience, awarding, and attainment. By fostering equitable learning practices, staff can support the success of all students.

By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:
•
Understand unconscious bias and how it has an impact personally, interpersonally and structurally
•
Understand and explain the concept of institutional discrimination
•
Recognise and address barriers to inclusion and belonging
•
Use inclusive language
•
Identify ways to actively promote inclusivity through LJMU specific case studies

The Diversity and Inclusion Team have planned a session with Advance HE on, 'Addressing Islamophobia in Higher Education'. This session will be an interactive discussion on different definitions of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred, including the 2018 All-Party Parliamentary Group's definition of Islamophobia.

The session will cover the below, and an opportunity to reflect on learning from the workshop and identify individual action points. 

Defining Islamophobia – building a shared understanding
Interactive discussions on different definitions of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred, including the 2018 All-Party Parliamentary Group's definition of Islamophobia. Highlight how Islamophobia is often multifaceted, affecting perceptions, policies, and interactions on campus.

Data on Islamophobia in Higher Education
Presentation on recent data on Islamophobia's presence in UK universities and how such normalisation impacts academic choices, career progression, and mental health for both students and staff.

Beyond data: lived experience and impact on staff and students
There will be activities to explore how Islamophobia affects Muslim students and staff with personal testimonies to provide a humanised view of the challenges faced by Muslim individuals in educational environments.

Practical steps to fostering inclusion
Participants will look at practical examples of positive behaviours that promote inclusion including allyship/equity accomplice and active bystander practice and signpost to LJMU internal processes and support mechanisms to address Islamophobia and promote inclusion

Supporting Care Experienced students and those who are estranged from their family

To showcase the culture and background of the GTRSB in the UK:

• who they are, their culture and aspiration
• To highlight the challenges faced by the GTRSB communities
• To share the interventions (in education, employability, and wellbeing) that LJMU have implemented with the community across Liverpool to empower and enable them to be active participants in Liverpool life. 

I Met Lucky People is part of the title of a book about Roma in Britain by Yaron Matras.

This session will be delivered by Dr Patricia Jolliffe and Helen Collins, project leads from the recent DI Funded Projects - 

1. 2024- 2025 - GTRSB Moving Forward – Liverpool (Embedding a sustainable GTRSB culture at LJMU and in the community)
2. 2023 - 2024 - Using the Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showmen and Boaters' (GTRSB) HE and Schools Pledge to increase Liverpool GTRSB into FE and HE

The Diversity and Inclusion Team have planned a session with Advance HE on, 'Addressing Islamophobia in Higher Education'. This session will be an interactive discussion on different definitions of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred, including the 2018 All-Party Parliamentary Group's definition of Islamophobia.

The session will cover the below, and an opportunity to reflect on learning from the workshop and identify individual action points. 

Defining Islamophobia – building a shared understanding
Interactive discussions on different definitions of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred, including the 2018 All-Party Parliamentary Group's definition of Islamophobia. Highlight how Islamophobia is often multifaceted, affecting perceptions, policies, and interactions on campus.

Data on Islamophobia in Higher Education
Presentation on recent data on Islamophobia's presence in UK universities and how such normalisation impacts academic choices, career progression, and mental health for both students and staff.

Beyond data: lived experience and impact on staff and students
There will be activities to explore how Islamophobia affects Muslim students and staff with personal testimonies to provide a humanised view of the challenges faced by Muslim individuals in educational environments.

Practical steps to fostering inclusion
Participants will look at practical examples of positive behaviours that promote inclusion including allyship/equity accomplice and active bystander practice and signpost to LJMU internal processes and support mechanisms to address Islamophobia and promote inclusion