Reflecting on honest conversations about race and equality

Over the past 18 months, our Executive Leadership Team has been paired with Black and ethnic minority leaders from across the Liverpool City Region, to share their lived experiences and inform policy and decision making at the university and beyond. 

Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Power and Labour MP for Liverpool, Riverside, Kim Johnson reflect

Here Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Power and one of his reciprocal mentors, Labour MP for Liverpool, Riverside, Kim Johnson, reflect on some of their discussions over the past 18 months; how their upbringing has shaped them into who they are today, if Reciprocal Mentoring works and what learnings they will take with them beyond the programme. 

View their reflections on the Reciprocal Mentoring Programme: 

Watch the full conversation above as the reciprocal mentees discuss their time on the programme together.

The Reciprocal Mentoring Programme 

The Reciprocal Mentoring Programme began in 2019 as a small pilot between LJMU students and LJMU senior leaders with the aim to transform the way the university understands and responds to the perspective of Black students, within its community.  

After the success of the internal Reciprocal Mentoring Programme, the external programme was developed with leaders in the city, to take the conversation outside of the university and into the wider community.   

26 leaders from across the city and LJMU’s Executive Leadership were paired for the external programme. Vice-Chancellor Mark Power was paired with both Labour MP for Liverpool, Riverside, Kim Johnson and the then Mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson. 

Find out more about the Reciprocal Mentoring Programme at LJMU 

As the Leaders Reciprocal Mentoring project comes to an end, LJMU will continue sharing the experiences and lessons learnt with the wider LJMU community.   

You can find out more information about the Reciprocal Mentoring Programme here.