Decolonising Education Collective (DEC)
Students representing DEC at the Love York Awards
The Decolonising Education Collective (DEC) is a group of students and staff in the Department of Education who meet fortnightly, with the shared imperative to influence action to decolonise the curriculum in the Department of Education.
The group has discussed and taken action on priorities for intervention in the curriculum, pedagogy and decision-making processes. We work to identify and overcome barriers associated with the legacies of colonialism, denials about racism, and the time needed to address fundamental questions about knowledge and pedagogy.
This has led to a number of notable achievements in the first year including:
- Designing a core induction project on anti-racism for incoming first year students
- Reverse mentoring resulting in case studies and staff training
- Securing representation on departmental committees
- Establishing a discussion group
- Employing student interns to identify good practice in decolonising education curricula
- Staff and student award nominations, including for the Love York Awards
All staff and students in the Department of Education are welcome to join, and we also welcome members from outside the department where appropriate. We have regular attendance from staff and students on all our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, but you can pop in as (in)frequently as you like. Feel free to eat your lunch with us. There is no pressure to speak - listening is also a valuable contribution.
Get involved
DEC meets fortnightly on Wednesdays, from 12pm to 1pm
For students who want to find out more, please contact educationrep@yusu.org.