20th October | 12.30 - 13.30 | Online

Daniel Stone was the first person from his comprehensive school in inner city Birmingham to study at the University of Oxford, While studying, he campaigned on student access, racial awareness and equality, and was an elected student representative. Since graduating, he has worked for diversity recruitment experts Rare, and for the University of Birmingham where he has led a number of initiatives to improve employability outcomes for WP students and to enhance the university's civic impact. He is a member of the BAME Staff Network Committee and has recently published a memoir, After Oxford. Daniel will share his experiences from a range of different educational perspectives and will dialogue with colleagues about inclusivity.

After the session, Angellique and Ben wrote a reflective blog on the key points from Daniel's talk. This can be found here.

17th November | 12.30 - 13.30 | Online

Tessé, a governance strategist, combines cutting edge governance and leadership approaches with pragmatic wisdom, curiosity, cultural approaches and behavioural strategies. 

Tessé extols the impact of board dynamics from composition, effectiveness impact, effective decision making, leadership styles and tone. In 2019 she was invited to Parliament to speak about diversity leadership at the APPG meeting on charities and volunteering. She is author of “The emotional board”  published by the Donors Experience, which suggests practical ways to engage a board.

After her lunchtime session with us she provided the following reflections and Ben wrote a blog.

9th December | 12.30 - 13.30 | Online

Joel Dunn is the CEO and Founder of Paradigm Project, a specialist prevention mentoring service set up to help the reduction of serious youth violence. His journey to this position was unconventional and he has a powerful transformation story. From a successful career as a bodyguard to serving time in prison, Joel was motivated by his life experiences to give young people better life opportunities. He describes his life now as being committed to influencing change in the lives of young people by creating and developing means to mitigate adverse childhood experiences.

After the session, Angellique and Ben wrote a reflective blog on the key points from Joel's talk. This can be found here.

25th Febuary 2021 | 12.30 - 13.30 | Online

Lou Chiu is an existentialist coach, trainer and consultant specialising in culture and relationships, working with teams and individuals.

Ben wrote a blog summarising Lou's session.

17th March 2021 | 12.30 - 13.30 | Online

Joel Dunn is the CEO and Founder of Paradigm Project, a specialist prevention mentoring service set up to help the reduction of serious youth violence. His journey to this position was unconventional and he has a powerful transformation story.

Amanda Stephens is a Digital Marketing, Content Creator and Consultant with a proven track record of helping brands build a strong presence across a number of social media platforms.

The GuildHE staff team wrote a blog summarising the session.

20th April 2021 | 12.30 - 13.30 | Online

Patrick was Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Manchester for over 13 years. During this period, he was a member of numerous national committees in relation to diversity and inclusion. Patrick also has over 16 years’ experience in the field of careers information, advice and guidance. This role included working with major graduate employers to develop ‘Positive Action’ initiatives such as mentoring and internships targeted at underrepresented groups, to help increase their employability.

The GuildHE staff team wrote a blog on the session. 

25th May 2021 | 12.30 - 13.30 | Online

Paula Okonneh is a woman in Tech leader and entrepreneur. As a self described Tech lover, this baby boomer sees herself as an encourager to other women especially seasoned  immigrant women who struggle to have a voice while at the same time being intimidated by technology.

Tessé, a governance strategist, combines cutting edge governance and leadership approaches with pragmatic wisdom, curiosity, cultural approaches and behavioural strategies. 

Ben wrote a blog summarising the session.

17th June 2021 | 12.30 - 13.30 | Online

Amanda Sefton is the Head of Campaigns at the Union of Jewish Students- the representative body on campuses for 8,500 Jewish students in both the UK and Ireland. They support Jewish students in every aspect of their lives, for instance in providing kosher food and making sure that Jewish students feel welcomed on campus. Ben wrote a blog which summarised Amanda's presentation.

21st October 2021 | 12.30 - 13.30 | Online

Kay Adekunle Rufai is a British-born Nigerian photographer, poet, filmmaker, mental health researcher, playwright, and immersive artist. Rufai was born in Poplar, London, but grew up in Nigeria and California. The S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Project was created as a direct response to a rise in youth stabbings in London around 2017-2018 which led to a series of government approaches regarding increased criminalization of youth and police presence in minority communities. Kay was inspired by this to investigate the mental health provisions for the black youth community. He also wanted to remind the public that these are young boys, even though they are often treated as men. It became a 6-month-long photography, poetry and discussion-based art projects with 30 BAME boys between the ages of 13 and 25 from Lambeth. This project also produced a critically acclaimed poetry album, Boy And A Bike (Miseducation Of Black Youth) and the results from this project were displayed in a number of exhibitions.

Ben wrote a blog summarising the session here. 

12 April 2023 | 12.30 - 13.30 | Online

The session topic was Anti-oppression: How is it Different from EDI? It included an introduction to Jo and their journey into anti-oppression work, the differences between EDI and anti-oppressions and a Q&A.

Jo Yuen (they/them) is an experienced facilitator, guidance practitioner and educator. For the past 5 years they have been designing and delivering anti-oppression training and they launched their own training consultancy in 2019. 

Jo previously worked for 7 years in higher education, in widening participation and careers. They qualified as a careers consultant and are currently studying towards qualifying as a psychotherapist with Regent's University London. Jo's professions require deep reflection and introspection in order to learn and develop, and it is this approach that they bring to their training. They specialise in facilitating difficult, but necessary, conversations.

30th October 2023 | 12.30 - 13.30 | Online

The session topic was on the transformative power of self-awareness. 

Discover how cultivating self-awareness can foster a deeper connection with yourself, helping you to lead a more empowered, self-affirming life. This workshop will be exploring mental health and wellbeing through an intersectional and intercultural lens. 

The workshop will cover: 

• The importance of self-awareness

• Developing an inner connection through the process of self-exploration

• Exploring awareness in action

• Using practical tools that help to empower you daily 

Ash Alves is a writer, life coach and trainee psychotherapist, who helps guide others on their self-exploration and healing journey. She is the founder of Warrior Reminder, an organisation that aims to equip others with the tools to help them heal, grow and self-realise.

5th March  2024 | 12.30 - 13.30 | Online

The session topic was on the charity SpecialEffect which transforms the lives of physically disabled people across the world through the innovative use of technology.

Mick’s presentation will cover the fascinating and inspiring story of why he created his charity SpecialEffect in 2007, the global impact of SpecialEffect in collaboration with organisations such as Microsoft, Sony, Logitech, Rare, EA and others, plus the impact on the many people his team have helped since the charity was first founded. He will also explain why SpecialEffect does not charge for any of its services, whether provided to individuals or corporate organisations.

Dr Mick Donegan MBE, is the Founder and CEO of SpecialEffect, a charity dedicated to providing enhanced opportunities for people with severe physical disabilities to access technology for leisure, creativity and communication. He is Adjunct Professor of Assistive Design at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada. 

21st May  2024 | 12.30 - 13.30 | Online

Yassine will begin by looking at bias and how embedded underlying beliefs are often the root cause of microaggressions. Her talk will highlight some LGBTQ+ specific microaggressions, including misgendering, assumptions, stereotypes etc and how these can be avoided or addressed when we get things wrong. It will also cover pronouns, some of the core concepts relating to them, some of the concerns when using them, and how language can be a powerful inclusion tool. Yassine will draw from her own lived experience to illuminate some of these themes. 

Yassine is the founder of Confronting Change EDI Strategies and is an EDI consultant, writer, facilitator, mentor, speaker, sensitivity coach, podcaster and occasional accidental model. Her areas of expertise are LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion, creating anti-racist spaces and embedding EDI practices and principles through an intersectional lens..