FACE Presents: Decentring Higher Education

Central Saint Martins (CSM), London Metropolitan University (LMU)and Fashion and Arts Creating Equity (FACE) will come together for an event celebrating Black History Month and examining how higher education can move beyond conventional approaches to inclusion.

The event will begin with a discussion of The Inclusive Training Playbook for Higher Education and its contribution to the staff-development strand of the GEMS network. In particular, the discussion will draw on the chapter “Decentring Approaches”, considering practical ways to advance equity in policy and impact training, address the intersections of age and race, and reimagine student–staff partnerships that support careers in academic writing and research. This will be followed by a student-led workshop responding to themes around inclusive education and will end with networking and drinks..

Creating change through inclusive practice

The session will be led by Sharon Lloyd, Deputy Director of the Centre of Equity and Inclusion (LMU) and Founder of FACE, Philip Clarke, Programme Director Fashion CSM, Tanveer Ahmed, Senior Lecturer in Fashion and Race CSM and Messiah Odinma, Associate Dean of Student Journey at London College of Communication. The panel brings together Benita Odogwu Atkinson, Kevin J. Brazant and Dr Neelam Wright, whose combined experience spans fashion and arts education, social justice, educational development, researcher development and inclusive pedagogy. Student Changemakers from CSM and London Metropolitan University will lead the afternoon workshop, collaborating with Sabine Lettmann of FACE.

A timely conversation

Together, Messiah Odinma, Benita Odogwu Atkinson, Kevin J. Brazant and Dr Neelam Wright will explore what it means to decentre higher education in practice not simply by improving representation, but by reshaping curriculum, institutional knowledge and educational relationships. Contributors will also reflect on their involvement in the publication and its relevance to the current social, political and educational landscape. Spearheaded by Student Partnership Manager and GEMS co-chair Jason Forrest.

The event supports the revised strategic vision of the GEMS network and its pillars of belonging and staff development, offering participants practical ideas for creating more equitable, culturally intelligent and transformative learning environments.

Benita Odogwu Atkinson is a senior educator and creative practitioner with more than 30 years’ experience in fashion and arts education. A FACE council member, she champions inclusive, equitable and purpose-driven teaching, and delivers talks and workshops on decolonial and inclusive pedagogy across universities. Her continuing practice in fashion, textiles and craft informs her call for a decentred and globally conscious creative education.

Kevin J. Brazant is a Senior Educational Developer at University of the Arts London and a researcher, Encounter Artist and Cultural Systems Designer exploring power, learning and social change. His practice, Learning from the Margins, uses storytelling, co-creation and disruptive pedagogy to surface marginalised knowledge and rethink institutional culture. He created Disrupting the Discourse and Visualising Justice and is founder of the creative practice studio Lounge Akademics.

Dr Neelam Wright, Senior Teaching Fellow in Higher Education Practice at the University of Southampton, works within the Doctoral College’s professional development team to enhance doctoral education across disciplines. Her practice focuses on inclusive education, researcher development, wellbeing and equity, diversity and inclusion. As editor of The Inclusive Training Playbook for Higher Education, she brings extensive experience of developing evidence-informed resources and interventions addressing racial trauma, researcher wellbeing, bullying and harassment, systemic inequalities in academic employment and inclusive leadership. Neelam is also an internationally published film scholar, a member of FACE and a member of the national Vitae policy advisory group.