Black and minority students campaign award

Kwesi Adedeji-Watson, who designed UCL Union's first such campaign this year, accepted the award at the NUS National Black Students Conference in Liverpool, held 22-23 May.

Kwesi, UCL Union's Medical and Postgraduate Students' Officer, took the initiative to campaign on issues faced by black students at UCL, and ran events 10-12 February 2010.

Activities included taking a group to visit Preston Manor School in Wembley to speak to 15 black young black men about the importance of higher education; an awareness stall at UCL Union; a free tea rally in the quad supporting multi-culturalism; and a lunch featuring speakers including activist and former politician Linda Bellos and Lee Jasper, former Senior Policy Advisor on Equalities to the Mayor of London. The campaign will run for the next two years.

Kwesi said: "Winning this award is very special and I am very grateful to the NUS for recognising the work that I have done to give black students at UCL a platform to share their opinion about their experience at UCL and to give UCL an opportunity to hear from them how best UCL could support them while they are here.

"Since I am returning to Jamaica in September, I have met with the outreach department to work with the transition programme which will help black students adjust here at UCL. This will work in conjunction with induction programmes as well as the UCLU Afro-Caribbean Society, ACS."

To find out more, follow the links at the top of this article.

Image: Kwesi Adedeji-Watson

UCL Context

UCL Outreach offers an exciting and comprehensive programme of activities and assistance for schools and colleges. The aim is to harness the knowledge and expertise established at UCL in order to provide a top service for under-represented groups in university education. The department hopes to broaden and inspire minds as well as to foster a genuine interest in university life and study.

Links:

• UCL Union
• UCL Outreach