Reflecting on the 2022 Women+ of Colour in Leadership programme
- Written byKat Smith
- Published date 14 October 2022
UAL’s Creative Shift deliver an annual Women+ of Colour in Leadership programme to empower a new generation of leaders with the skills to thrive in the creative industries. Creative Shift partnered with PR company Hope&Glory to give the 2022 student cohort a live brief opportunity, designing a PR campaign for their client LinkedIn.
Shortly after the 2022 live brief came to an end, podcast host Debra Chosen spoke to UAL students Davinia Clarke, Pearl Gerald and Jade Milton-Baptiste about their experiences of the Women+ of Colour in Leadership live brief project this year.
The episode dissects the importance of creating spaces for women+ of colour, how the brief affected their sense of self and their advice for anyone considering applying to the next live brief.
“It was great to work alongside other women and also people that look like me and we have similar experiences that we can talk about,” says Davinia. “And to not feel uncomfortable – when you’re in certain spaces you can feel like you have to dim parts of yourself.”
Talking about doing the creative brief, Pearl says that the process empowered her to believe more in herself: “You can do anything you put your mind to. We made it to the final presentation – I didn’t stutter as much! I managed to slow down.”
“Finding my voice, being comfortable in my own skin and knowing that I deserve to be here.” Jade Milton-Baptiste on what the Women+ of Colour in Leadership programme has taught her about herself.
For those wanting to apply to the next Women+ of Colour in Leadership programme, Jade says to “Do it – apply! The amount of support you receive is beyond measure, you can’t put it into words. They are so supportive; they are so understanding, and nothing is ever too much - I’m not even exaggerating.”
About Interrogating Spaces
Interrogating Spaces is a podcast by UAL Teaching, Learning and Employability Exchange which examines ideas around inclusivity and attainment in Higher Education. Each episode explores democratic and decolonised teaching practices through dialogue with practitioners as well as staff and students from UAL.
This podcast episode is hosted by Debra Chosen, whose career has orbited around telling stories that engage and provoke human connection. She is currently working as Global Content Manager for Dove at Unilever and hosts Trusting The Process, the podcast that celebrates Black women doing big things.
Debra chats to Davinia Clarke (BA Hons Illustration and Visual Media student), Jade Milton-Baptiste (BA Hons Design Management graduate) and Pearl Gerald (BA Hons Graphic and Media Design student).
Women+ in Leadership and Creative Shift
Women+ of Colour in Leadership is a 10-week project designed to inspire and empower UAL students who identify as female or non-binary.
The opportunity allows 15 students to develop different aspects of leadership through leadership coaching delivered by Jannett Morgan, Director of JM Learning & Skills, while applying their learnings to an industry live brief. This year the project worked with renowned PR agency Hope&Glory and their client LinkedIn.
Women+ of Colour in Leadership is part of Women+ in Leadership - an inspiring programme of industry-led events and opportunities throughout the academic year.
The project is part of Creative Shift – UAL's initiative striving to shape a diverse creative industry and support underrepresented students to make a living doing what they love.