Shavae Willoughby
Shavae Willoughby is a third-year Criminology student at the University of Roehampton. She is the current Student Project Manager for the RAFA2 project and works closely with Professor Marilyn Holness and the Student Engagement Team on interventions to address the attainment gap and to increase BAME students’ engagement at the university. She actively works to provide a platform for students to voice their concerns and shape their experiences by advocation with them – and on their behalf – to ensure that student issues remain at the forefront of decision-making. Shavae is actively involved in projects and leads on Decolonising the Curriculum in the Social Science Department where she is the Chair of the Student Steering Group, working alongside Professor Leah Bassel and Natasha Boatswain. During her time at the University of Roehampton, Shavae has received numerous awards, including ‘Idea of the Year’ for introducing ROEBuddies, a peer to peer student mentoring programme; ‘Exceptional Commitment to a Student Engagement Project’ and ‘Department Rep of the Year’. After graduation, Shavae will be studying for an MSc in Risk Analysis at King’s College London.
RAFA2 has provided me with the opportunity to make lasting changes at the university, changes that will benefit current and future students. And it has helped me to get my voice heard as I represent the views of my peers. I worked alongside academics, professional staff and my peers to find workable solutions to closing the BAME attainment gap. My understanding of the issues has grown, and I have been given the opportunity to present my thoughts and finding at conferences to help the development of others. As a result of my intervention and pioneering work with the RAFA2 project, there has been a noticeable change at the university regarding talking about race and the attainment gap is improving. I have introduced a mentoring and befriending scheme to help new students transitioning into the university, and for existing students who are referred. We are also in the process of Decolonising the Curriculum in Social Science and creating a Moodle page that is accessible to all students and staff. This shows that the university is receptive, have accepted that there is a problem and have put an action plan in place to resolve the issue.
Natasha Boatswain
Natasha Boatswain is a postgraduate student currently studying for an MA in Global Criminology after successfully completing her BSc in Criminology at the University of Roehampton in 2017. Natasha was the first Student Project Manager for the RAFA2 project and was instrumental in establishing the project by recruiting and supporting the numerous student consultants and in gathering and responding to student voices. She worked closely with the RAFA2 project team and with the student consultants from Queen Mary University of London and Carshalton College, who between them effectively raised the profile of the project. Natasha has gone on to actively be involved in Decolonising the Curriculum in the Social Science Department where she is the curator and joint developer for the Moodle learning resource for the student cohort 2019. She also plays an integral role on the Student Steering Group, working alongside Professor Leah Bassel and Shavae Willoughby. Natasha received the Prize for Outstanding Contribution to the Department in recognition of her services, commitment and contributions to addressing the BAME attainment gap.
The RAFA2 project has been good for the university as it has provided time and space for staff and students to talk about race in a way that we never did before. I have represented my fellow students on the Student Senate, in learning and teaching committees and in programmes and department meetings where I have challenged current practices, asked for changes to teaching and assessment practices and where I have questioned the curriculum offer and the lack of BAME academics. On a personal level, RAFA2 has allowed me to build on my skills, such as qualitative research methods and report writing. As my confidence increased, I created events for students and staff to attend in order to present my research findings and share ideas on solutions. Additionally, working with the RAFA2 project allowed me to go on to work with the Social Science Department on a student-led project called Decolonising the Curriculum. My role as curator allowed me to become a joint developer for the Moodle learning resource for the student cohort 2019. Through RAFA2, my voice and the voices of students have been heard and, as a result, change is happening.