The Israel/Gaza Conflict continues with devastating impacts on the lives of people in the area, rippling out to their families, friends and beyond.

In recognition of the grief and concern this conflict has caused for members of the Loughborough University community we are holding this forum, welcoming all community members, students, and staff, to express their thoughts and feelings in a mutually respectful space.

The forum will be on Wednesday 13th December, 2pm until 3.30pm and will be held in The Edward Herbert Building, EHB001. We encourage people to attend in person if possible, however the forum can be accessed via MS Teams. The forum will not be recorded.

The session will be facilitated by Veronica Moore, Director EDI Services, Dr Ali Bilgic, Reader in International Relations and Security and University Special Envoy for the Middle East, and Denise Coles, EDI Manager.

The purpose of the session is to promote free expression in an environment that is free from discrimination and to hear the views and feelings of others to deepen empathy and understanding. The intention is to contribute to the University’s strategic aim to work together to create an inclusive, fair, and respectful culture in which all staff and students feel valued, are able to voice differing perspectives. Facilitators will encourage equal participation in an environment in which all respectful contributions are valued. To help achieve this aim all attendees will be asked to agree to some shared principles of engagement at the start of the forum.

If you would like to attend, please complete the online form. Please refer to the Let’s Talk EDI Toolkit for Respectful conversations before attending.

There will be light refreshments on arrival.