An Oxford undergraduate has launched a video project to raise awareness of the experiences of ethnic minority students at the University.
Walk in my Shoes, an Oxford SU project, will give a voice to BAME students through video content uploaded online.
The project’s first series focused on the experience of being a mixed-race student at the University and how ethnic diversity can be improved within Oxford. At time of publication, the most popular video has gained over 800 views on Instagram.
“Walk in my shoes (WIMS) will allow other ethnic minorities to feel supported and relate based on similar experience,” said Tony Farag, the project’s lead.
“This project was particularly important to me because I realised that ethnic minority students often experience a lot in places like Oxford which many people do not know or understand. I wanted to give a voice to students who are often voiceless or are assigned a voice by others.”
He added: “WIMS was inspired by the need for a greater sense of empathy, understanding and awareness. I wanted to create a platform where ethnic minority students could openly and honestly express their personal stories, whether positive, negative or a bit of both.”
Tony, a Geography student and BAME representative at St Catherine’s College, hopes the project will promote communication between the student body and the University, leading to “informed changes guided by the voice of the students.”
Walk in my Shoes also aims to help prospective applicants. Tony said: “The project will hopefully also provide… a resource through which [prospective students] can realise the diversity of the student body at Oxford, not to mention an authentic and honest review of the current ethnic minority experience at Oxford.”
“The project will make a statement of proactivity emulated by many ethnic minority students who endeavour to make Oxford a more welcoming and diverse place.”
558 BAME students successfully applied to Oxford in 2019 for undergraduate study, accounting for 22.1% of UK students admitted.
Walk in my Shoes can be found on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Image credit to Tony Farag. (Image edited)
