As an Associate HPL specializing in Painting at FAD, UAL, I confront nuanced challenges hindering student’s belonging in FE. These multifaceted challenges, encompass the underrepresentation of diverse student groups, limited avenues for meaningful connection, and inadequate support structures from both peers and educators. Harper & Hurtado (2007) underscore how social exclusion manifests through scenarios such as isolation from faculty and peers, minimal representation in student organizations, and encounters with prejudice. These factors contribute significantly to feelings of alienation, ultimately impacting student’s academic engagement and their ability to integrate socially within the college environment. Gurin et al. (2002) further highlight that barriers such as restricted access to campus resources and experiences of microaggressions create a hostile academic atmosphere, undermining students’ confidence and sense of belonging in higher education settings.
My commitment to enhance belonging within FAD’s community is rooted in personal reflections on identity, visibility and broader societal actions, influencing perceived inclusivity. Scholars like Cypess (2024) emphasize universities’ complex role in addressing sensitive issues such as antisemitism, highlighting the need for more inclusive practices. Nieminen (2022) underscores collaborative efforts across institutional levels to foster belonging, beyond the responsibility of management or educators. Being a Jewish woman informs my understanding of nuanced challenges faced by marginalized groups in academia, shaping my teaching approach to integrate diverse student identities. While my intervention is not tied to a specific course, FAD is largely East Asian and BAME, enriching learning through global academic and artistic expressions, emphasizing inclusivity across culture, gender, religious, racial, linguistic, disability, neurodiversity, mental health, socio-economic, and educational spectrums. This diversity underscores the critical importance of nurturing a genuine sense of belonging within our academic community—a motivational factor recognized by psychologists Baumeister and Leary (1995).
Despite the upcoming merger of CCW with LCF and CSM Foundation across Lime Grove and Archway Campuses, which brings operational uncertainties such as shifts in working hours, curriculum structure, and operational dynamics, my goal remains to better inclusive environments at UAL’s new FAD.
Intervention Overview: “Letters to Oneself on Belonging” Exhibition
‘Letters to oneself on Belonging,’ is designed to cultivate campus-wide belonging across the FAD corridors through a group exhibition. Students and staff, are invited to anonymously submit reflective letters exploring their personal experiences of belonging. (Appendix 1) This initiative aims to foster connection through shared diversity, provide a platform for marginalized voices, and promote awareness and tolerance within our community.
The concept inspired by foundational theories of belonging articulated by Eccles and Midgley (1989) and Dr. Maithreyi Gopalan (2016), aims to include students’ sense of belonging in academia by empowering their persistence and academic achievement. Drawing initial inspiration from Sophie Calle’s work ‘Dumped by Email’ (2008) and Dr. Denis MacEoin’s letter response (2024) to antisemitism, as well as Bekki Perriman’s (2019) exhibition of anonymized narratives from marginalised women, this exhibition seeks to ensure all participants, regardless of background or viewpoint, feel heard and valued. Participation across FE campus community’s, ensures localized yet diverse representation of voices. Scheduled as an intermittent rolling showcase throughout the 2024-25 academic year, starting in December to allow participants time to settle in.
Implementation Strategy:
Collaboration with various UAL departments is necessary. This involves securing technical assistance for instillation, QR codes and newsletter inclusion, logistical support for promotional materials and printing, communication in managing gallery operations, online submission platforms and concerns. Ensuring anonymity and confidentiality of submissions with rigorous review processes aligned with exhibition objectives is essential. Emotional support resources will be readily available to assist participants in managing potential emotional challenges associated with sharing or reading personal stories.
Theoretical Framework and Pedagogical Approach
Informed by critical pedagogy and social justice theories such as bell hooks (1994) and Gloria Ladson-Billings (1995), the initiative creates inclusive spaces for anonymous expression, addressing discrimination, bias, and microaggressions. Challenging traditional gallery norms, as examined by Bishop (2012) in “Black People Don’t Go to Galleries,” fosters nuanced dialogues and cultivates environments that honour diverse voices and experiences.
Central to this mission is enhancing belonging in higher education, influencing academic engagement, retention rates, and institutional and social capital among diverse student populations. Strategies supporting policies that facilitate student voice, connection, and belonging (Wilson & Morieson, 2022) promote openness and mutual respect within our Foundation community. Personalized learning support and peer mentoring, advocated by Muldoon & Macdonald (2009), along with educators sharing vulnerabilities and experiences (Larsen & James, 2022), significantly enhance belonging, especially for marginalized students.
Understanding how student engagement intersects with institutional practices (Joubert et al., 2023; Kahu & Nelson, 2018) is vital in our diverse, politically active environment. Research by Walton and Cohen (2007, 2011) and Yeager et al. (2016) shows that targeted interventions reduce ‘belonging uncertainty’ and promote engagement in college life. This exhibition’s objectives align with Strayhorn’s (2012) findings on the critical role of belonging in academic success.
Addressing Othering and Representation
Creating an inclusive gallery environment that values diverse voices and experiences is crucial for fostering a sense of belonging. Traditional practices can inadvertently exclude certain groups or narratives, making it essential to embrace collective submissions that enrich the cultural tapestry, motivating and affirming each individual’s unique contributions to the arts. Anonymity and outreach efforts play pivotal roles in dismantling barriers that hinder meaningful engagement with gallery spaces, ensuring that diverse perspectives are seen and valued. Seary et al. (2023) highlight the importance of inclusive environments in connecting students, educators, and learning materials, while Press et al. (2022) tell how access to inclusive spaces fosters a sense of belonging critical for academic and personal development. Amplifying the voices within our community that often go unheard, particularly those beyond the curriculum’s scope, significantly contributes to creating an environment where everyone feels valued and included. The limitations and challenges I foresee with the implementation are that it may inadvertently exclude certain voices or perspectives despite mitigations in effective outreach strategies like personal invitations to engage less visible students, in realising broader participation and representation.
Recognizing the impact of belonging on academic success and well-being underscores the importance of inclusive environments that celebrate diversity and provide equitable opportunities. Educators play a pivotal role in fostering supportive relationships and environments that promote collaboration among peers, cultivating a community where students feel supported and motivated to excel. Clear and transparent communication about the exhibition’s goals and potential emotional impact is essential to encourage meaningful participation. Ideally participants would feel empowered and informed about the purpose and process of sharing their stories, with support mechanisms in place throughout their involvement. Ethical considerations are paramount to ensure participants feel safe and respected within the exhibition space, with guidelines clarifying that contributions aim to raise awareness and foster empathy rather than resolve personal grievances. Procedures for reporting concerns and incidents must be clear, ensuring transparent communication on how such issues will be addressed.
Feedback:
Tutor, Peer and Colleague Insights helped shape the exhibition. (Appendix 2) Feedback highlighted concerns about the emotional impact of sharing personal experiences, prompting adjustments such as ensuring the provision of emotional support resources. The decision to adopt a rolling showcase format and establish a protocol for handling serious incidents of exclusion underscored the importance of inclusive engagement and ongoing feedback, possibly becoming letter exchanges. One suggestion to reframe the question to “tell us about a time you have felt included” aimed to shift the focus away from personal stories of exclusion, while another input emphasized the exhibition’s potential to foster an interactive element and supply materials at UAL, suggesting periodic exhibition refreshes at the busiest terms to maintain engagement and clear prompts to guide diverse responses.
Reflecting on this project’s impacts and adaptations, I’ve encountered challenges in defining specific aspects for students to explore and share. It’s essential to clarify responsible questioning used in guiding participants to align their contributions with the goal of inclusivity. This refining process aims to interrogate and refine relevance across issues resonating with students and staff. Inspired by recent higher education research (Allen et al., 2024), these revised prompts encourage deep reflection on connection, safety, community involvement, and acceptance within the university. Participants are prompted to explore their individual value and initiatives celebrating diverse backgrounds and perspectives. This exercise nurtures a respectful personalized experience, fostering authentic expression and emphasizing inclusivity within our community.
I was influenced to address considerations around improvement of motivating applicants and of sustaining engagement and participation throughout the academic year which risks fatigue or diminishing interest among participants. I have adjusted my strategy to maintain momentum and relevance by ensuring that materials are readily available and that adequate space is provided for participants in reception areas. Adjustments designed to function as an immersive installation, reminiscent of a private confessional booth. Here, students will be provided with writing papers and pens, creating an atmosphere conducive to introspection and thoughtful expression. I am yet to understand if my presence would make a difference or not in offering encouragement or hindering space, yet this setup aims to facilitate a personal and intimate engagement with the themes of belonging and identity, allowing participants to share their narratives authentically over consecutive weeks.
To operationalize effectively, I’ve considered challenges posed by the merger. This updated strategy devises localized implementations at Lime-Grove and Archway campuses, addressing immediate logistical needs. This includes utilizing an online submission platform to complement these efforts, employing targeted marketing strategies through newsletters, posters with QR codes (Appendix 3) in high traffic areas and personal outreach efforts to maximize participation and inclusivity. Later provision in proactive measures for protective installation of works ensures that vandalism doesn’t counter or exacerbate the incentive of inclusivity.
By addressing these operational challenges proactively, I aim to ensure that the exhibition fosters a robust engagement from all corners of our community.
Conclusion:
Success of “Letters to oneself of Belonging” hinges on meticulous planning, effective resource allocation, and proactive outreach efforts. Navigating logistical challenges while upholding ethical standards like prioritizing robust self-care practices for all involved is key. By creating a safe and meaningful space that fosters empathy, understanding, and dialogue within the UAL community, this initiative aims to set a precedent for future shows and scalability, publications and becoming part of the UAL ‘Tell us about it’ archive contributing to the broader discourse on fostering a supportive and inclusive university environment where every participant feels valued and heard. Through ongoing reflection and adaptation based on feedback, the exhibition seeks to quietly transform the backdrop to our community by promoting empathy, awareness, and tolerance.
Bibliography
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Bishop, C. (2012). Black People Don’t Go to Galleries. Critical Inquiry, 39(1), 5-9.
Calle, S. (2008). Take Care of Yourself: A Project by Sophie Calle.
Cypess, R. (2024). From Eighteenth-century Germany to Contemporary Academia, Combatting the conspiracy theory of antisemitism in scholarship. Responses to 7 October: Universities, London centre for contemporary antisemitism, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
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Harper, S. R., & Hurtado, S. (2007). Nine themes in campus racial climates and implications for institutional transformation. In S. R. Harper & L. D. Patton (Eds.), Responding to the realities of race on campus (pp. 33-48). Jossey-Bass.
hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. Routledge.
Joubert, A., Gollifer, S., & Davis, L. (Eds.). (2023). Mergers and acquisitions in the contemporary art world: A critical perspective. Routledge.
Kahu, E. R., & Nelson, K. (2018). Student engagement in the educational interface: Understanding the mechanisms of student success. Higher Education Research & Development, 37(1), 58-71. doi:10.1080/07294360.2017.1366909
Keyser, J., Shipstead, Z., Chatterjee, A., & White, J. (2022). The role of educator lived experiences in curriculum development. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 15(1), 43-57. doi:10.1037/dhe0000241
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465-491.
Mistiaen, V. (2019). Doorways: Women, Homelessness, Trauma and Resistance By Bekki Perriman. House Sparrow Press.
Larsen, J. R., & James, J. (2022). Vulnerabilities and resilience in higher education: Insights from educators’ personal narratives. Teaching in Higher Education, 27(1), 28-45. doi:10.1080/13562517.2021.1881645
Muldoon, J., & Macdonald, R. (2009). Personalized learning support and peer mentoring in higher education: A review of the literature. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 6(1), Article 3. Retrieved from https://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol6/iss1/3/
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Press, A., Freeman, E., & Dimmock, J. (2022). Inclusive spaces and student belonging in higher education: A systematic review. Higher Education Research & Development, 41(2), 231-249. doi:10.1080/07294360.2021.1872923
Seary, K., Jones, M., & Smith, P. (2023). Inclusive environments in higher education: Connecting students, educators, and learning materials. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 16(1), 12-29. doi:10.1037/dhe0000245
Strayhorn, T. L. (2012). College Students’ Sense of Belonging: A Key to Educational Success for All Students. Routledge.
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Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2011). A brief social-belonging intervention improves academic and health outcomes of minority students. Science, 331(6023), 1447-1451.
Wilson, K., & Morieson, K. (2022). Policies supporting student voice, connection, and belonging in higher education. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 44(3), 256-273. doi:10.1080/1360080X.2022.2014379
Yeager, D. S., Walton, G. M., Brady, S. T., Akcinar, E. N., Paunesku, D., Keane, L., … & Dweck, C. S. (2016). Teaching a lay theory before college narrows achievement gaps at scale. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(24), E3341-E3348.
Appendix :
Appendix 1: Call for Participation: Share Your Story of Belonging or Exclusion Anonymously in Our Exhibition
Dear [Community Member/Student],
We invite you to participate in a reflective exercise that explores your sense of belonging within our community at our confession booth or online. Inspired by recent research on belonging in higher education (Allen et al., 2024), we encourage you to write a letter to yourself. Your letter will be anonymously exhibited as part of a project to promote understanding and foster a sense of connection among all members of our community.
Consider the following prompts as you write your letter:
Dear Me,
- Connectedness to Peers, Staff, and the Institution:
- How connected do I feel to my peers in the university setting?
- Do I have opportunities to build meaningful relationships with faculty and staff?
- Do I feel a part of the broader university community?
- Feeling Safe and Part of the Community:
- Do I feel safe within the campus environment, both physically and emotionally?
- Is there a sense of community that I can see myself being part of?
- Are there supportive networks and resources available to me?
- Being Valued and Accepted:
- Do I feel valued as an individual within the university?
- Are my contributions recognized and appreciated by others?
- Do I feel that my presence and identity are respected and accepted?
- Embracing Diversity and Inclusion:
- Is there a visible commitment to diversity and inclusion within the institution?
- Are there initiatives and programs that celebrate diverse backgrounds and perspectives?
- Do I see representation of my identity and experiences in the curriculum and campus activities?
From Me,
You can pick certain questions as reflections will help us better understand and support the diverse experiences within our community. Please feel free to express your thoughts openly and honestly. Your letter will remain anonymous in the exhibition but will contribute significantly to our ongoing efforts to enhance belonging for all.
Why Participate? Because your voice matters. By sharing your story, you contribute to a brave collective Artwork and archive that captures the diverse experiences of our community. This exhibition aims to illuminate awareness of social inequalities, cultural differences, and other critical issues, creating a space for tolerance, empathy and change.
How to Participate:
- Format: Submit your story in any form—handwritten or typed letters, images, documents, interviews, excerpts, drawings.
- Anonymity: All submissions will be anonymous and unsigned.
- Frequency: There is no limit to the number of contributions.
Exhibition Details:
- Duration: Rolling showcase intermittently throughout 2024-25.
- Theme: Belonging
- Location: Corridor galleries to be confirmed, transforming these spaces into reflections of our community’s experiences.
- Confidentiality: All submissions will be treated with respect and confidentiality.
- Selection: All respectful submissions reflections will be included.
How to Submit:
- Find out more: [Insert Link]
- Come to our booth and take a moment to privately write a handwritten work which you can pop in the submission box at reception at: [Locations TBC] Or as an online submission.
Thank you for your participation.
Warm regards,
[Rebecca Harper/UAL FAD]
APPENDIX 2: Feedback
Email feedback – Colleague correspondence
Dear Colleagues,
I hope you don’t mind me emailing on behalf of my intended PGCERT ‘inclusive practices’ Intervention plan. I am in need of varied responses from the Foundation team in different areas that I may be able to draw n or refer to within my reflection, especially with all the changes and displacements happening over the next academic year. If you have any contributions I’d be thrilled to hear from you or if you think someone might be relevant please do forward this on. Please see a brief proposal of my intervention plan, the questions I have for you, and a call out to staff and students for participation at the bottom in green.
PLAN: I am excited to share the steps needed to orchestrate my upcoming gallery exhibition on the theme of ‘inclusion’. This exhibition will feature anonymous letters (in various forms) from students and staff, highlighting their personal experiences with belonging and exclusion. The space will be especially important as it needs to speak directly with the community of experiences it showcases. The goal is to create a safe space for honest expression and to promote tolerance, democracy, understanding, and empathy within our wider UAL community.
My questions for you are:
- Approach to Inclusion:
- How do you consider my approach to inclusion, which will allow for the measurement of disparities of experience with different groups and track future progress?
- How do I ensure that it is inclusive to everyone?
- Proposed Priorities:
- Do people relate to the proposed priorities, so that it can build on what the university stands for and tackle hate, microaggression, racism, marginalisation of faith groups, ableism, bullying, and create a safer space including psychological safety?
- Are there any ethical considerations I need to keep in mind?
- How do I ensure that staff and students are aware of how taxing it might be to write a letter about these experiences?
- Community Insights:
- How might I gather insight into what actions the community thinks should be prioritized, to make sure the exhibition is meaningful and dynamic?
- Has anything like this been done previously?
- Is there any analysis on students’ sense of belonging?
- Exhibition Logistics:
- Where is it best to run an exhibition for the community?
- Who should I reach out to for this call for exhibitors, and how might I especially reach the students who are harder to reach?
- Who would make a submission box link for the entries?
- How should I circulate so that I am including groups, teams, and departments like disability, GEMS, Jewish society etc.? Is there a list with email addresses I can access? If so, where do I find it?
Steps to Move Forward with my Intervention:
- Call for Participation:
- Invite students and staff to submit anonymous letters sharing their experiences with inclusion and exclusion.
- Promote the initiative via email, social media, and posters around campus.
- Submission Guidelines:
- Submissions can be handwritten or typed letters, drawings, or other formats.
- Ensure all submissions are anonymous and unsigned to maintain confidentiality.
- Collection Process:
- Set up submission boxes at reception areas in Archway and Lime Grove.
- Create an online submission form for digital entries.
- Curation and Display:
- Regularly collect and review submissions to ensure they align with the theme and respectfulness criteria.
- Plan the exhibition layout in the adjoining corridor galleries, allowing for continuous updates as new entries come in.
- Engagement and Feedback:
- Encourage ongoing participation throughout the academic year.
- Gather feedback from visitors to assess the impact and identify areas for improvement.
Key Objectives:
- Temperature Check: Understand how different groups perceive inclusivity at our institution.
- Relatability: Ensure the exhibition reflects diverse experiences and builds on the university’s values.
- Actionable Insights: Identify priorities for future initiatives to enhance inclusivity and safety.
By addressing these questions, I can ensure that the exhibition is meaningful, impactful, and contributes to a more inclusive and supportive university community.
RESPONSE:
Hi Rebecca
Thanks for sending this through it sounds interesting.
I think in regards to your questions about the ethics I wonder what the impact is of asking a student to write about being excluded at our institution (I know it’s not just at UAL but it might be) and the institutional response to be to either exhibit that or choose not to exhibit that. I know the project is creating a dialogue around inclusion and exclusion but I suppose I wonder if a student writes about a serious incident of exclusion if we need a plan for an appropriate response. I hope you don’t mind me asking this, I just think it is an important issue that needs thinking through carefully which I know you are keen to do. Maybe it’s easier to discuss it in person which I am happy to do if it helps.
You asked about other research into belonging at UAL. Lola Wimalasena our Changemaker did a survey which looked at these issues and did a report for our last Course Quality Meeting. Claire is it okay to share the report?
Ben and I have both run the Letter to Myself Project which is different but and so I thought I’d share my experiences from it which might be useful. We got students to participate during show week and went round the studios when the students were invigilating with paper copies and pens and then got them to post their responses in a post box at front desk. We got a good response rate, I think from memory we got about 60-70. I did do an email shout out at the same time but I think I got 2 replies. I guess my advise would be face to face invitation to the project would work best, especially if you are doing it at the start of term when we don’t know the students and haven’t built up trust yet. Also for that project many of the students wrote stuff in the letters that wasn’t really appropriate to share with new students so only about half were actually useful. I would also recommend being really clear in what you are asking them to respond to I would go for something like ‘tell us about a time you have felt included’ rather that asking for a personal story of belonging or exclusion.
Thanks and hope this is helpful
Camilla
……………………………………………………
Camilla Lyon
Progress and Attainment Tutor
CCW Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
FEEDBACK 2:
- QUESTIONAIRE FEEDBACK FROM PEER DALIA:
Given the limited time we have to reflect, I wanted to focus on the six most impactful questions that I hope will provide me with the essential insights to gather valuable feedback that will help to make my project more inclusive, impactful, and effectively addresses the needs and concerns of my diverse community.
Intervention Design and Concept
- Understanding and Relevance:
- Is the concept of the “Letters of Belonging” exhibition clear to you?
- Do you think this exhibition addresses the key issues of belonging and inclusion within our academic community?
- Do you have any ideas about how else you might frame the question in the invitation to respond?
The idea and exhibition format are intriguing, interactive and inclusive – it’s a great way to encourage and foster a sense of belonging at university, which many UAL students have said they have struggled with in annual surveys. You have provided a lot of good evidence and research that suggests this type of participatory method of seeking insights and experiences can reduce belonging uncertainty.
I think the fact that you are inviting staff and students is another great way to encourage belonging – no one’s voice is left out. However, I do realise this is open only to people working/studying in Foundation courses. Perhaps location is worth considering… of course, if the exhibition space is only accessible to the Foundation community then the exhibition would feel inclusive, however you identified logistical reasons for potentially having to move it, in which case you would likely have to ensure that the invitation to participate in the exhibition extends to anyone who has access to that space.
The poster is a nice idea and has a personal touch in the handwritten format, but could this be more eye-catching, such as a call to action so that people walking past would want to stop and learn more, e.g. ‘Do you feel that you belong?’
Implementation and Logistics
- Feasibility:
- Do you think the proposed timeline and resources for the intervention are realistic and sufficient?
- Are there any logistical challenges or barriers that you foresee in implementing this exhibition?
I like the idea of it being a rolling project where you collect the responses over a long period. However, a drawback to the exhibition being in the same space for a long while is that it could become ‘part of the furniture’ and students/staff may not engage with it as much. A year seems like quite a long time. Perhaps refreshing it every few weeks or considering only having it up during the busiest terms (one and two/over six months) when engagement would likely be higher is another option.
I wondered about the way in which to ensure participants feel safe/comfortable to participate in person via the submission box – i.e. could there be some method of privacy for writing your response and submitting it; how can you ensure nobody tampers with the submission boxes etc.
Potential Impact
- Inclusivity and Representation:
- How well do you think this intervention will capture and represent the diverse experiences of our community?
- What steps can we take to ensure that all voices, especially those from marginalized groups, are included and heard?
I think this could be a really powerful way of capturing a breadth of experiences and to monitor how your community truly feels about inclusion and exclusion at the college. Anonymous responses can be effective in ensuring you receive honest feedback as there are no repercussions. A downside to this is it could be quite hard to gauge or ensure that the voices are diverse and representative. Perhaps you could include a set of prompts that people can choose to engage with or not in their letter, almost as a short guideline especially for those who may be struggling to come up with an answer. E.g. ‘have you ever felt excluded because of aspects of your identity?’ – a question like this could potentially help you to understand if someone feels they are from a marginalised identity, without them having to give too much away if they fear ‘exposure’.
Ethical Considerations
- Anonymity and Confidentiality:
- How can we improve the measures for maintaining the anonymity and confidentiality of submissions?
- Are there any ethical concerns you think we need to address more thoroughly?
The details for participation are clear and thorough, which is very important as students often like to have clear instructions on what they have to do. Perhaps in the ‘selection’ heading it can be made clear, in the interest of preserving anonymity for all, that any entries in which any individual (or group or even specific unit/course?) could be identified would not be selected. This is just considering that some responses may be very specific/personal and therefore people or groups could be easily identifiable. Acknowledging this could manage expectations and mitigate resistance to participation because of fear that confidentiality could be breached.
I agree with Camilla regarding how to respond to serious incidents of exclusion. Another consideration is the ethical (and perhaps paradoxical?) nature of choosing which submissions to include or exclude in a project about inclusion and exclusion (if that makes sense!). Not suggesting that you are aiming to exclude anyone on purpose, as I think you are right to embed some form of regulatory framework before the letters are exhibited in order to manage the ethical considerations you have outlined regarding anonymity and severity of experiences. I think the way to tackle this is in how you phrase this so that students are aware they are not being censored, but this ‘buffer’ of a selection process is to ensure safety and confidentiality.
Reflection and Feedback
- Engagement and Participation:
- What strategies do you suggest for encouraging more students and staff to participate in the exhibition?
- How can we make the process of sharing personal stories feel safe and supportive for participants?
Perhaps also including a QR code on the poster/in physical spaces to the online form could encourage more responses.
Could you consider sharing some example responses/letters of both inclusion and exclusion in your communications so that participants a) get a sense of the type of content that’s selected b) feel more confident/comfortable sharing their own personal stories and c) are reassured that this is a safe and supportive practice in which their voices are heard and shared without repercussions.
Post-Intervention Evaluation
- Temperature Check:
- After the exhibition, what questions should we ask the community to gauge its impact and effectiveness?
- How should we handle and respond to serious incidents or negative experiences shared through the letters?
More people likely to participate if they understand the aims of the exhibition how the information is being used. If they understand it to be mostly a showcase of thoughts and ideas around inclusion and exclusion (which is itself important) but no action is taken, some may be put off participating. Perhaps it’s best to distinguish that this is not an anonymous survey or evaluation such as the ones students are asked to fill out at the end of a unit or year – making the aims as clear as possible will ensure clarity and likely encourage more participation.
Any serious incidents should be dealt with via the official university channels for handling these types of incidents or accusations – i.e. I imagine in the first instance to speak to a line manager and decide how best to escalate/if HR involvement should be sought. The difficulty with this is that it’s of course anonymous and depends on the specific context of each incident; there’s only so much action you can take without knowing the details and who is involved. General ‘negative’ responses that suggest exclusion based on identity/discrimination should perhaps be discussed at department level among senior staff and regular meetings held with staff teams to attempt to address the issues, though again this is dependent on each specific case.
APPENDIX 3: Reflective Report: Letters of Belonging – Call for Participation Poster Design
Poster Design Elements:
- Colours: I have utilized the UAL brand colours for a cohesive and professional look.
- Images: I have drawn the poster in the form of a letter, representing the nature of the letters of diversity and inclusion.
- Fonts: Use of handwritten writing aims to make it feel personal- will attempt to keep it clean, and readable though I appreciate this may not work.
- Layout: I will ensure a balanced layout with clear sections and ample white space for readability.
- Graphics: Add QR code for submission and resources, icons for submission methods (e.g., a letter icon for physical submissions, a computer icon for online submissions).
- Footer: Fine Art Foundation, University of the Arts London (UAL)
Committed to Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion - Logos: University of the Arts London (UAL) Fine Art Foundation
Execution:
- Print Posters: Which I will place at prominent locations on campus.
- Digital Versions: Share via UAL’s official channels and newsletters.
- Social Media: Promote through UAL’s social media platforms with engaging visuals and hashtags related to inclusion and belonging.
- QR code
This design and approach will be adapted to new considerations. I hope will ensure clear communication of the exhibition’s purpose, ways to participate, and the impact on the UAL community, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment.