MK College appoints its latest Student Commissioners for Racial Justice 

Milton Keynes College has appointed its latest group of Student Commissioners for Racial Justice, to be part of a group of students from 10 colleges across England, to raise awareness of and discussion around the vital topic of racial justice.  

Now in its fourth year, the Student Commission is organised by Leaders Unlocked and has explored racial disparities in education across a range of key areas. The Student Commission has also developed national recommendations for change that will be delivered to decision-makers in a Manifesto for Action later in May. 

The five learners from Milton Keynes College – who are studying a range of courses including Business and Computing, Arts and Media and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) – will take part in a range of activities throughout the year. The Commissioners are supported by Leaders Unlocked to build skills in research, public speaking and engaging other young people. They will also produce a short animation or film and workshop that reaches tens of thousands of students across England. Our Commissioners will also work with stakeholders from Milton Keynes College and our wider communities to develop recommendations for action to tackle racial injustice. 

The students are all very excited about their new roles: 

Lyrica Davy-Dupris: “I wanted to take part in the racial justice project to spread awareness and to make colleges a much safer and more welcoming place for students.” 

Muhammed Abker: “I would like to do everything in my power to tackle any inappropriate or racist behaviour that may happen amongst my peers.” 

Ruth Tanyaradzwa Dzapasi: “I joined the Racial Justice Commission because I aspired to be part of a team that empowers young people to work towards delivering justice to everyone despite their race, ethnicity or backgrounds.” 

Chelsea Mutunga: “I joined because together we are the change to fix the community and to bring understanding that we are all human regarding religious background, race and culture. I also want to help Black History Month and another cultural and religious events to be more celebrated and recognized.” 

Arv Kaushal, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Milton Keynes College Group, commented: “Our learner voice is one of the most powerful forces we have to enable change in our college. We are thrilled and excited to be part of the Student Commission on Racial Justice initiative for the second year, building on the momentum of last year’s theme of ‘We Are The Change’. We have now recruited five amazing learners as Student Commissioners on Racial Justice who will work within the College and a number of colleges nationally, to continue the work we have already started.” 

To find out more about the work we do to support Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Milton Keynes College Group, visit https://mkcollege.ac.uk/about-us/equality-and-diversity/