I decided to sit down with (or, rather, phone) the individual members to get an insight into their thinking, their visions, and their expectations of the year ahead. It was a truly eye-opening experience, and I’m thrilled to present the outcomes of the discussion with Leyla, the new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion rep.
Why do you think it’s important for us to take responsibility for the equality, diversity, and inclusion at the school?
-Well, of course we want every single member of the community to feel safe and loved and cared for in and out of school. There’s a real importance to explore, educate and celebrate people’s backgrounds and cultures, so that we can ensure that everyone thrives. That’s all self-explanatory. The real aim is to find and change any institutional issues in the day-to-day life of school, which often go undetected by everyone apart from the people experiencing them. And that won’t be changed by short term, performative actions.
What kind of plans, ideas, visions do you have within this role?
-I think the problem with EDI is that it can become very, you know, tick the box, and that fails to solve the deep-rooted problem. It’s not about making surface-level change, but real change throughout the community, and I think a big part of my role is going to be communicating with people, because it’s about the experiences of everyone at school. I believe a way to tackle those concerns is to be more reflective; we have to move past thinking equality, diversity and inclusion is enough, or that it’s an end-goal. Instead, we should see it as a way to start recognising oppressive structures, and to recognise EDI as separate entities that interact with each other, rather than this one mushed, conjoined idea. If our school is diverse, it’s not necessarily inclusive, and if it’s inclusive, it’s not necessarily equal, you know?
Your last question – can we expect themed, gorgeous outfits for every event?
-Yaas! I mean, of course, who do you think I am, darling! Get ready for me to seriously serve looks. I was thinking – should I give a snippet of what’s going on inside my head? But I think let’s just keep them as surprises. Basically, I’m going to be slaying. Sustainable fashion, peo
