Within Wales, the Welsh Government has taken a distinct position and set goals that are influencing how higher education institutions are working to progress race equality. In 2022, it published the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan, which set a clear goal for universities to pursue a charter mark. Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter (REC) is now being formally pursued by all universities within Wales.
Wrexham Glyndwr University (WGU) has adopted its own approach through support from Advance HE that speaks to the direction it has deemed right for its own context.
Yasmin Washbrook, Lecturer in Youth and Community, Ali Bloomfield, Head of Organisational Development and Diversity and Claire Taylor, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Professor of Education at WGU share insights of their experiences for navigating power and privilege across various levels of the institution as new REC members working to achieve a Bronze Award.
In February 2021, Wrexham Glyndŵr University was invited to participate in the HEFCW funded ‘Race Access and Success Collaborative Project’, facilitated across Wales by Advance HE. The project saw Welsh higher education institutions come together to evaluate and review institutional policy, practice and curriculum. The aim was to develop a tangible action plan, to be used to devise, implement and achieve the Race Equality Charter award across their respective institutions. This work, combined with the Welsh Government Race Equality Action Plan (2022), has been shaping race equity strategies across WGU.
