Diversifying the University of Durham

Speaking for the 93%

We are the 93% Club Durham. We are the UK’s least exclusive members’ club. A members’ club to rival some of the country’s most exclusive and expensive clubs.

At the 93% Club Durham, we aim to represent the interests of state-educated students. We account for 93% of the national student population, but only 61.6% of Durham University’s student population. Stateeducated students, therefore, face exceptional inequality when it comes to obtaining opportunities at our university and in the workplace.

These findings ultimately reaffirm that more needs to be done to ensure that Durham University more accurately reflects the wider UK student body. The 93% Club Durham endeavours to lead the way on social mobility, and we aim to directly build a working relationship with the university. In the future, it should be expected that state schoolers receive more offers from the university, given that we account for 93% of the national student body.

Our vision is to create a hub for state-educated students. We want the 93% Club Durham to be a springboard for successful careers, and the lives of selfassured individuals, with all the tools to achieve big things in society. We want our community to be shaped and motivated by their state school background, not held back by it. We currently boast 828 members and endeavour to increase this figure over the following academic year. We are delighted to announce that we won the ‘The 93% Club Outreach Award’ in August. This award is hugely symbolic, as it celebrates the 93% Club Durham being the largest 93% Club in the UK, at the university with the highest concentration of privately educated students in the UK.

We exist to dismantle the class inequality that exists in the UK today through the power of community. By bringing together hundreds of likeminded individuals from our university, we are breaking down the structural barriers to social mobility and building a future that is fairer for the next generation. We don’t believe that “the system” is broken. We think “the system” works. It works incredibly well for the people it was designed to serve. We consequently endeavour to build a replica system. A system for those without such immense levels of social, cultural and economic capital. We want to take the very system that is creating social immobility and

Halle (President) and Etta (VP) at the award ceremony.

use it to create social mobility.

Unlike other members’ clubs, our students don’t pay a fee. Instead, we raise funds through our employer partnerships. We work closely with our sponsors to organise employability training, careers workshops and social events on campus. Some of our sponsors include Herbert Smith Freehills, Sanctuary Graduates and Bright Network. Employer partnerships provide committed employers with the chance to connect with the country’s largest network of state-educated students. Due to this, employers are provided with a diverse talent pool, and our students can socially mobilise.

We understand that starting university is an important milestone in any young person’s life. It is a time filled with possibility and joy, but also with underlying anxieties and preconceptions. Due to this, our executive committee members are working tirelessly to ensure a smooth transition for all upcoming students. Our new mentorship scheme will allow older students from similar backgrounds to help guide and advise new students to obtain the best university experience and accomplish their goals.

HALLE AFFLICK, President of The 93% Club Durham Instagram: @93clubdurham www.93percent.club

The Journalism Diversity Fund

All you need to know

As an aspiring mixed-race journalist, I found it extremely important and helpful to choose a university that was aware of diversity and recognised the importance of having faces like mine and other minorities in the media. Kingston University appealed to me as it not only has the NCTJ accreditation with its Journalism MA course, but it also gave me the chance to apply for the Journalism Diversity Fund (JDF). The JDF awards a number of people from diverse backgrounds who need help funding their NCTJ journalism training. The funding can cover your course fees, living expenses, travel and any additional books or resources you may need. Individuals who are awarded are also paired with a working journalist to mentor them throughout their studies. The fund is in place due to journalism typically consisting of white, middle-class professionals, therefore leading to a lack of representation in the newsrooms. The applications are open to anyone who can bring a different perspective to journalism from the norm. The diversity options can be your ethnicity, any disability or life experiences you have faced, or your social background. To apply for the JDF you need to ensure that you have applied for an NCTJ accredited course (Kingston, in my case). You can then complete an online application form in which you need to include information about yourself, how your specific diversity can change a newsroom, your financial needs and your passion for journalism. If successful you are then shortlisted and invited to an interview with a panel of senior industry figures who will make the final decision. Whilst being part of the fund, there are many opportunities to network at events set by the JDF to increase the chances of getting your name and work out to newsrooms and companies. The JDF Fourth Application round has a deadline for Wednesday 2nd November and bursaries are then awarded on December 7th. The fund has made it possible for me to make the move to London, as a mixed-race woman from Ireland, and to learn amongst some of the best journalists in the UK, whilst receiving guidance and financial support!

SARA KEENAN, Co-Editor

www nctj.com/journalism-diversity-fund