LJMU launches next phase of Reciprocal Mentoring programme
Senior leaders from across LJMU came together with their students and staff pairs this week to launch the next phase of the university’s pioneering Reciprocal Mentoring programme, an initiative designed to transform understanding, strengthen relationships and build a more inclusive LJMU for everyone.
Seventeen new mentoring pairs
Led by the university’s Diversity and Inclusion Team, this phase pairs Executive and University Leadership Team members with students and staff who are disabled, LGBTQ+ or neurodivergent, creating an honest, two-way exchange of experiences. Unlike traditional mentoring, the programme is based on reciprocity—with both partners learning from each other’s insights, challenges and lived realities.
The launch brought together 17 new mentoring pairs, meeting for the first time before taking part in an interactive workshop led by Femi Otitoju, Founder and CEO of Challenge Consultancy. Her session, 'Fearless Exchange: Building Confidence in Disability, Neurodiversity and LGBTQ+ Dialogue,' encouraged participants to step into conversation with courage, openness and curiosity.
Over the next six months, pairs will meet regularly to share their stories and explore what it really means to be disabled, neurodivergent or a member of the LGBTQ+ community at LJMU. Senior leaders will also offer reflections on leadership, career progression and how the university can continue to advance meaningful inclusion across all areas of the institution.
This is how genuine cultural change happens, and I’m proud that LJMU continues to lead the sector with such a thoughtful and ambitious programme
Tina Purkis, Executive Director of Human Resources
The programme is delivered by Moni Akinsanya, Phil Bakstad and Dr Olatunde Durowoju, who have championed its development across LJMU and beyond.
Moni Akinsanya, Associate Director for Diversity and Inclusion, said:
“This programme is about people really hearing each other. It’s simple, human and powerful. When we listen with care, we learn how to build a university where everyone feels they belong.”
Tina Purkis, Executive Director of Human Resources and a participant in the programme, said:
“Reciprocal Mentoring challenges us as leaders in all the right ways. It asks us to step outside our assumptions, sit with someone else’s lived experience, and reflect on the decisions we make. This is how genuine cultural change happens, and I’m proud that LJMU continues to lead the sector with such a thoughtful and ambitious programme.”
About Reciprocal Mentoring at LJMU
LJMU’s Reciprocal Mentoring programme began more than five years ago as a groundbreaking partnership pairing senior university leaders with Black students. The aim was clear: to transform how the institution understood and responded to the lived experiences of Black students within the LJMU community.
Following its success, the scheme expanded to pair LJMU’s Executive Leadership Team with Black leaders from across the Liverpool City Region, creating deep conversations that informed policy, practice and decision-making both within the university and beyond.
Today, the programme continues to evolve. LJMU’s Diversity and Inclusion team has taken the initiative beyond the campus—supporting organisations across Liverpool and the wider region to adopt similar models, reinforcing the university’s commitment to sharing learning and driving citywide inclusion.
