Our very own WELS Faculty Rep, Charon Gates, had the privilege of co-presenting a session at the British Educational Research Association (BERA) Conference in September.
The session was on Future Diversity, an Open University project designed to enhance employment pathways for neurodivergent learners at Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11).
Charon co-presented the session with two OU staff members – Dr Poppy Gibson (Project Lead) and Jon Rainford (Project Consultant) – who Charon has been working with on Future Diversity.
Students attending the session were given clay to make an envelope of what they imagined what they would do in the future. These were then dried and painted (as seen below). Charon says: "It was a wonderful experience and I was so proud to represent The Open University and Open SU – and was grateful to be asked."
The Future Diversity project was given funding last year by BERA's 'Neurodiversity in Mainstream Schools Grant Programme'. The project programme has been co-created with students from a West London College. By prioritizing the voices and experiences of young people, it is hoped that Future Diversity's research will ultimately enhance the employability skills of neurodiverent students, as-well as their readiness for life beyond school.