The Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning will launch a new Black Advisory Hub on Friday (14/05), which will support Black students as part of University-wide access and participation plans.

Several students were involved in the establishment of the hub, and the team conducted focus groups and consultations in the process of establishing the hub. During this stage in their research, they found that: “More often than not, Black students rely on word-of-mouth or student-led initiatives like the African Caribbean Society (ACS) and the BME Campaign, which focus on social and/or activist matters.”

They added: “What is missing, we felt, is a centrally coordinated space where relevant educational information for Black students is collated, such as resources, academic support, event information, and opportunities such as internships and scholarships.”

The Hub will be launched as part of an online event offering a chance to hear from student co-creators of the project and to ask questions of both the team and Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Toope.

The interactive space aims to help and support Black students at the University, as well as share initiatives for future access projects at Cambridge.

The Black Advisory Hub is supported and funded by the Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning, the Vice Chancellor and the Alexander Crummell Fund, emails seen by Varsity state.

In a blog post written by the hub’s designers, one of the student co-creators stated that “Our inspiration came from Michelle Obama’s memoir Becoming, where she recounts her experience as a Black student at Princeton University.”