Keynotes/Plenaries
The Students as Partners Roundtable 2025 brings together students, educators, and community-activists to critically explore the complexities of doing partnership and social justice work in higher education. This year’s plenary sessions will engage with questions about power, resilience and the pursuit of meaningful lasting change through our partnership practices.
These plenaries will examine how to build partnerships with those from minoritised groups in ethical ways particularly from a decolonial perspective. There will be focus on the impacts of partnership, such as how co-creation can drive real and lasting change within our institutions. Equally important, there will be honest discussion about the tensions and challenges of doing social justice work in partnership, such as the need to sustain authentic partnerships while navigating institutional pressures, practicing accountability, and developing the stamina needed to persist amid resistance, uncertainty and unrest.
Join these in-person and livestreamed conversations to engage with critical reflections and collectively envision more just and transformative partnership practices.
Plenary Day 1
Wednesday June 25th, 17:30-19:00 (UK)
Redistributing power in the academy: understanding the importance of relationality and partnership in decolonial work
Speakers: Yahlnaaw and Kelsea Costin
This plenary brings together two academics from the United Kingdom and colonially known Canada to discuss the redistribution of power in universities in relation to partnership work. The panel will feature Yahlnaaw (University of Victoria), whose scholarship and practices interrogate oppressive colonising frameworks and systems, drawing on her intersecting identities as an Indigenous, queer, and transgender scholar, and Kelsea (SOAS, University of London), a Master’s student in Cultural Studies, early-career researcher and member of a student-staff partnership.
Considering questions and the interrelatedness of knowledge production, relationality, decolonial work and student-staff partnership, these speakers will delve into conversation about what it means to do social justice work in their unique contexts, whilst also acknowledging their similarities within colonising frameworks. Their discussion will focus on building partnership relationships ethically and with consideration to minoritized groups, especially from a decolonial perspective.
Yahlnaaw
Jah! Xaaydaga ‘las! Yahlnaaw han.nuu dii kiiGa ga. HlGaagilda Xaayda Gwaii sda.uu hll iigiing. LƏK̓ʷƏŊƏN sda.uu hll naa.uu dii gan. Way.yad.uu ‘Treaty 1’ guu.uu hll naa.uu dii ga.
“Hello! Wonderful people! My name is Yahlnaaw and I am from Skidegate, Haida Gwaii. I have the privilege of currently feeling a sense of home between Treaty 1 (colonially called Winnipeg, MB, Canada) and LƏK̓ʷƏŊƏN (colonially called Victoria, BC, Canada) lands”. I am Indigenous, queer, and transgender which often feels like being pulled into many intersecting worlds. I hold my identities, lived experiences, and relationships closely because I believe these forces shape and (re)direct my living and learning journey.
I am currently the Founder and Lead Consultant at Taajuu Consulting – an Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIA+, and anti-oppression consulting company alongside holding the position of Indigenous Rights and Anti-Racism officer for the Equity and Human Rights office at the University of Victoria.
Kelsea Costin
Kelsea Costin (she/her) is a Research Assistant for the Pedagogies for Social Justice project (PSJ). Whilst completing her BA in Sociology in 2023, Kelsea joined the PSJ as a Research Intern. In her current role as a Research Assistant, she has continued to contribute to the field, conducting university-wide research. Her most recent publication on student and staff perceptions on decolonising the curriculum has appeared in a special edition centring social justice and pedagogical partnership in Social Sciences. Kelsea has presented at multiple events connected to teaching, learning and social justice, including international and national conferences. As part of a student-staff collaboration, Kelsea believes that relationality and student-staff partnerships are crucial for dismantling institutional structures and challenging coloniality in the academy. After she completes her MA in Cultural Studies at SOAS, University of London, she is keen to prioritise student-driven knowledge production and decolonial and anti-racist work in academic communities.
Plenary Day 2
Thursday 26th June, 17:30-19:00 (UK)
Beyond the classroom: sustaining student-staff partnerships in the pursuit of social justice
Speakers: Esra Tahir, Fabien Littel, Özge Suvari and Tai Peseta
This plenary brings together students and educators engaged in student partnership and social justice work across universities in the United Kingdom. Focusing on the power of student-staff collaborations, this session will explore how meaningful partnerships can drive real change within our institutions.
The speakers will delve into key questions about what it takes to build genuine student partnerships in the pursuit of social justice. They will address how to ensure students are active participants rather than passive; partners in co-creating knowledge and pedagogic tools; as well as how trust and care can be nurtured within these partnerships. The panel will be hosted by Dr Tai Peseta, Associate Professor and Academic Lead for Student-Staff Partnership at Western Sydney University.
Join us for an open discussion about sustaining impactful, long-term partnerships that foster a more socially-just and collaborative university culture and community.
Esra Tahir
Esra Tahir is a Biomedical Science student at the University of Westminster with a strong interest in neuroscience, mental health, and social justice. She is currently a Student Ambassador for the Social Pedagogies for Social Justice (PSJ) Project, where she contributes to student partnership initiatives and research on inclusive education. Previously, she worked as a Research Assistant for the PSJ Project, focusing on decolonisation and higher education research. Esra is also involved in neuroscience research and community engagement, aiming to bridge scientific knowledge with social impact.
Fabien Littel
Fabien Littel (he / him) is a Postgraduate Researcher / PhD candidate in Organisational Behaviour at the Southampton Business School, University of Southampton. Following a 20-year career in various areas of HR in global blue-chip companies, Fabien decided to undertake a PhD in Organisational Behaviour, to further pursue his interest in business ethics, moral agency, and responsible business practices, and move towards a second career into academia. His PhD research focuses on climate change-related individual ethics for employees working in the oil & gas industry, and how a greater understanding and appreciation of these micro-dynamics may help foster change towards a sustainable future. He is co-chair (PGR) of the university’s LGBTQIA+ staff network.
Özge Süvari
Özge Süvari (she/her) is a doctoral researcher in the School of Architecture + Cities at the University of Westminster. Her research interest includes Anthropocene histories, ecologies and beings with a particular focus on the role of drawing in deciphering the climate crisis. Before her doctoral studies, she was an adjunct lecturer and practising architect in Turkey, where she was committed to designing public spaces and buildings in environmentally responsible ways. Since January 2024, she has been a research intern on the Pedagogies for Social Justice (PSJ) project and a student ambassador with the Student Partnership team. Navigating in academia as a both student and lecturer, she is committed to partnership and social justice as fundamental to shaping research, teaching, and learning.
Tai Peseta
Dr Tai Peseta is Associate Professor, Learning Futures in the Learning and Teaching Portfolio, Division of Education at Western Sydney University, Australia. Since 2017, she has led a suite of strategic curriculum and education initiatives, many alongside a team of student partners. Tai is an experienced higher education teacher and researcher with publications in the field of critical university studies, doctoral education, curriculum, and academic identity and development.
Plenary Day 3
Friday 27th June, 13:30-15:00 (UK)
Building stamina for justice: perspectives on social justice work in higher education
Speakers: Kyra Araneta, Séagh Kehoe, Lara Pownall and Sharon Stein
This plenary brings together voices from across the academic landscape to explore the complexities of social justice work in higher education. Our diverse panel features Dr Sharon Stein (University of British Columbia), whose scholarship and practice interrogates the colonial foundations of higher education; Séagh Kehoe (University of Westminster a senior lecturer and union organiser engaged with exploring ways to study within, against, and beyond the university.; Kyra Araneta (University of Westminster), an early-career researcher advancing decolonial approaches through student-staff partnerships; and undergraduate student activist Lara Pownall (University of Westminster), who brings vital insight from the student perspective.
Drawing from their distinct yet interconnected experiences, these speakers will explore critical questions about navigating the ups and downs of social justice work in higher education such as: How do we balance urgency with the need for deep, systemic change? How do we maintain authentic partnerships while managing institutional pressures? What does true accountability look like in this work, and how can we actively practice it? And, amid setbacks and resistance, how do we develop the stamina to sustain this work for the long haul?
Join us for an open and honest discussion on developing stamina, sustaining hope, and building long-term practices that drive meaningful change.
Kyra Araneta
Kyra Araneta (she/her) is a Lecturer in Student Partnership and Social Justice in the Centre for Education and Teaching Innovation (CETI) at the University of Westminster. Her research focuses on critical race and decolonial pedagogies, social justice education, intersectionality, and the role of student-staff partnerships in fostering ethical learning environments. As part of the Pedagogies for Social Justice Project (PSJ), she hosts the PSJ podcast, co-creates with students, and contributes to the field through publications and keynote addresses.
Séagh Kehoe
Séagh is a Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies and Course Leader for the BA in Culture, Environment and Social Change at the School of Humanities, University of Westminster. At the moment, they spend a lot of time thinking about how to study within/against/beyond the university. They are also a union organiser.
Lara Pownall
Lara Pownall (she/her) is a second-year BSc Biomedical Science student at the University of Westminster. As a mature-aged disabled student who entered higher education through a foundation year, she understands firsthand the extra challenges disabled students can face in this space. Lara has been engaged in student partnerships to impact pedagogical practices, with the aim of creating a more socially just learning environment. She is dedicated to amplifying the voices of disabled students to encourage positive, meaningful change towards equitable opportunities in higher education. Lara’s experiences at university have helped her co-deliver workshops on how student partnerships can help build an equitable and decolonised life sciences curriculum. In addition to her studies, Lara works part-time as an inpatient Nursing Assistant in the NHS, which has furthered her passion for addressing healthcare inequities. In 2023, she attended a summer programme in Canada at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine on obstetrics and gynaecology, in which she was fortunate to learn about their work to promote accessibility to culturally sensitive healthcare for Indigenous communities.
Sharon Stein
Sharon Stein is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia, and holds a Professorship in Climate Complexity and Coloniality in Higher Education. Her work asks how education can prepare people to navigate social and ecological breakdown in relevant, reparative, and intergenerationally responsible ways. She is the author of Unsettling the University: Confronting the Colonial Foundations of US Higher Education (JHU Press, 2022), founder of the Critical Internationalization Studies Network (criticalinternationalization.net), and a co-founder of the Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures Collective (decolonialfutures.net).
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