I spent 12 weeks of the summer as an intern in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) team. My focus was on the Gypsies, Travellers, Roma, Showmen and Boaters (GTRSB) into Higher Education Pledge, which Durham has signed up to alongside many other UK universities as a commitment to creating an inclusive environment for GTRSB students. It responds to a long-standing context of marginalisation in education, where only around 200 students from GTRSB communities are in higher education at any one time across the UK.
Building a new SharePoint hub
My main project was developing a new SharePoint hub to bring together resources that can support a positive change in Durham’s culture and support for students and staff from GTRSB backgrounds. I started by looking into how other universities have approached the Pledge so far and what might still be missing, before tackling the development end of SharePoint.
Having my own project to work on meant I had the scope to explore the topic in depth. Earlier in the year, I’d done some research into the health inequalities faced by Roma communities in the UK for my coursework, so it was really interesting to get to take this outside of the academic context and connect it to the practical work being done by advocacy and community organisations.
The final GTRSB Hub signposts to support and includes resources for learning more about GTRSB cultures and being an ally. It will definitely be a work in progress as the university continues to learn, but it was exciting to leave it knowing there’s now something to build on.
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month
My internship coincided with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month in June, giving me the opportunity to design posters for a display in the Billy B and create an interactive digital version. The Billy B hosted a talk titled ‘Should we care about G/R/T History Month?’, which though of course rhetorical, raised important limitations of raising awareness through public history events. The event helped me reflect on how I was approaching the project and better understand the cultural sensitivities being touched on.
Beyond the GTRSB Pledge work
Alongside the Pledge work, I could go along to any staff workshops I was interested in, which included a session on working with young people who have experienced trauma. Outside of Durham, I do PSHE in schools and am involved in research on childhood adversity and experiences in education, so it was amazing to get to tailor some parts of my internship to my wider interests.
Another unexpected highlight was joining a trip Darlington College to help with a supported internship recruitment day. Durham is part of a pilot study where we will host work experience for young people who would benefit from a supported transition into employment but don’t have the formal support of an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). We met with students who were interested in taking part and were treated to an amazing lunch!
My reflections and advice
Before joining the team, I didn’t realise how wide the scope of EDI is both across the university and in terms of outreach like this. No two weeks were the same and there was huge variety in the work that our cohort of interns got involved with. If you’re thinking about applying for any internships within the university, I would fully recommend going for it!
