Student protest at RCA, story.
Context: UK universities’ staff strike and RCA students’ saturation of their learning conditions.
Personnal response: Organizing a workshop to discuss our issues at the Kensington Campus and collectively draft solutions.
Place: Royal College of Art, 9th to 11th of March.
Related projects:
Common School for Design︎︎︎ (continuation)
Context: UK universities’ staff strike and RCA students’ saturation of their learning conditions.
Personnal response: Organizing a workshop to discuss our issues at the Kensington Campus and collectively draft solutions.
Place: Royal College of Art, 9th to 11th of March.
Related projects:
Common School for Design︎︎︎ (continuation)
Context:
In February 2020, universities’ staff started to take actions against new mesures taken by the governement putting in danger their job, status and working conditions. UCU taken actions here︎︎︎
In addition to the strike lead by teachers and staff members, students started to question their own conditions. A long mail exchange between students has shown that within each RCA schools, each program we where facing issues severely impacting our studies. This may concern the state of our building, our teaching conditions, international status or overcrowded workshops.
Students had decided to meet up on the 9th of March to discuss about our priorities. We decided after discussions to ask to schedule a meeting with the Vice-Chancelor. We stayed more than 6 hours there being ignored. During the day we animated the strike radio, other universities such as UAL were striking at the same times and followed our activities.
Find the summary of the day here︎︎︎
In February 2020, universities’ staff started to take actions against new mesures taken by the governement putting in danger their job, status and working conditions. UCU taken actions here︎︎︎
In addition to the strike lead by teachers and staff members, students started to question their own conditions. A long mail exchange between students has shown that within each RCA schools, each program we where facing issues severely impacting our studies. This may concern the state of our building, our teaching conditions, international status or overcrowded workshops.
Students had decided to meet up on the 9th of March to discuss about our priorities. We decided after discussions to ask to schedule a meeting with the Vice-Chancelor. We stayed more than 6 hours there being ignored. During the day we animated the strike radio, other universities such as UAL were striking at the same times and followed our activities.
Find the summary of the day here︎︎︎
Description:
Because of the unsuccess of the previous protest, I decided to organized 2 days after a workshop for students from the Kensington campus (flyer on the right). The flyers was distributed across the school the night of the protest.
The workshop aimed to provide a space for discussion but above all providing a context and tools to draft solutions, especially solutions that we can lead as students.
Workshop:
The workshop was organized in 4 tables of discussions:
- Spaces and facilities
- Tutors, visiting lecturers and teaching conditions
- Technical ressources and workshops
- International stodents and scholarships
Each tables was covered of paper with two section to fill: issues/solutions.
Equipment provided:
- 4 tables of work.
- Printed documents about scholarships, space management, new Battersea building purposes, college structure, UCU letter, SU works...
- Personal experience box.
- Contact list.
- A paper wall to write on it the main solutions founded according to the axe administration lead/ student lead.
- Paper, pen, post-it, tape.
- (beers at the bar next door)
Because of the unsuccess of the previous protest, I decided to organized 2 days after a workshop for students from the Kensington campus (flyer on the right). The flyers was distributed across the school the night of the protest.
The workshop aimed to provide a space for discussion but above all providing a context and tools to draft solutions, especially solutions that we can lead as students.
Workshop:
The workshop was organized in 4 tables of discussions:
- Spaces and facilities
- Tutors, visiting lecturers and teaching conditions
- Technical ressources and workshops
- International stodents and scholarships
Each tables was covered of paper with two section to fill: issues/solutions.
Equipment provided:
- 4 tables of work.
- Printed documents about scholarships, space management, new Battersea building purposes, college structure, UCU letter, SU works...
- Personal experience box.
- Contact list.
- A paper wall to write on it the main solutions founded according to the axe administration lead/ student lead.
- Paper, pen, post-it, tape.
- (beers at the bar next door)
What’s next?
Unfortunately, because of the emergency of the Covid-19, students including me started to go back home in the following days.
What we’ve discussed during the workshop was no longer a priority when our entire educative system was desapearing. Moreover, the debate about fees reimboursement and protest against the virtual show became bigger concerns.
However, this story pushed me to develop a speculative project about what could be a more desirable design education.
See the Common School for Design︎︎︎
Unfortunately, because of the emergency of the Covid-19, students including me started to go back home in the following days.
What we’ve discussed during the workshop was no longer a priority when our entire educative system was desapearing. Moreover, the debate about fees reimboursement and protest against the virtual show became bigger concerns.
However, this story pushed me to develop a speculative project about what could be a more desirable design education.
See the Common School for Design︎︎︎