Lisa Shoko

This interactive workshop empowers staff in higher education to understand allyship and its role in fostering inclusivity within academic environments. Participants will explore key concepts like privilege, bias, and systemic inequality, alongside practical strategies for supporting colleagues and students from marginalised groups. Through case studies, discussions, and actionable exercises, attendees will learn how to challenge inequities, amplify underrepresented voices, and create a culture of belonging. The session focuses on self-awareness, accountability, and building confidence to act as effective allies in both individual and institutional contexts.

This is the basis of my academic thesis. In my thesis, I share insights from these movements and the experiences of several students from the global majority - their experiences of marginalisation in higher education institutions are very common. This is the data.

Drawing from data collected through interviews conducted with students engaged in decolonising efforts at the University of Kent and my own observations of events hosted by student decolonial groups involved in contemporary decolonial activism across universities in the UK, I discuss how Black People and People of Colour (BPOC) students agree that universities have done very little to support impactful and long-term changes. This has had an adverse effect on students' sense of
Full research paper can be found here:https://kar.kent.ac.uk/97040/