Episode 5 - Podcast Empowering Hidden Voices: Inclusivity and Diversity in Education.

The Researching, Advancing and Inspiring Student Engagement (RAISE) Podcast

This episode is a conversation with Zena Rashid and Pinky Bazaz. It is an exploration into how they are fostering a more inclusive and diverse educational landscape. Discover how the Student Voice Project is reshaping the way they think about student belonging, leadership and empowerment and how they have integrated authentic student perspectives into the heart of educational practices.

Through the episode they spotlight the open and revealing experiences of students from unheard or marginalised communities. By sharing their authentic stories, they demonstrate how these emotional connections to real experiences serve as powerful catalysts for meaningful change. These narratives, which include peer-to-peer experiences that can be perceived as microaggressions, the search for decolonial expertise, and the desire for school-led cultural and community events, resonate deeply with colleagues. They talk about how the project created a stronger urgency for action and transformation compared to traditional metrics. The podcast delves into the project's innovative approach, which prioritises these genuine student voices over conventional feedback mechanisms, thereby opening a more dynamic and responsive student feedback loop.

Listeners will be taken on a journey through the project's principles approach, and findings. You will gain insights into the context and stages of the intervention, the tools and methodologies employed, and the strategies for evaluation and dissemination.