Welcome Ambassadors - Values training
Warwick Ambassadors: Your role in showcasing Warwick’s commitment to Equality, Inclusion, and Dignity.
As a Welcome Ambassador for the University, you are often the first point of contact for prospective students and their families or support systems. This resource is designed to help you confidently manage and address questions about Warwick Values, complementing the face-to-face Ambassador training.
Below, you’ll find an outline of key Warwick projects and initiatives that reflect our values, along with one or two key points to remember. Where available, links to further information are included. While this list is not exhaustive, it provides an overview of the types of activities happening across the University and their objectives. More projects will be added as they come to our attention.
For staff: The 1-hour, in-person, training is delivered by the Conduct and Resolution team in collaboration with the Warwick Welcome Service. Email (Programme Manager) if you would like to book the training for your departmental Ambassadors.
Active Bystander training
Interactive training for students to increase skills and confidence to call out/report unacceptable behaviours such as sexism, sexual misconduct, racism, homophobia, etc. Over 5000 students have taken part in some way over the last three years and the training is part of Club and Society leaders training.
Student Conduct "What you need to know" Moodle
Online education course for all current University of Warwick students. The course covers behavioural expectations at Warwick.
The course has received positive feedback. Students report finding this a useful activity to do at the start of their journey at Warwick, helping them to shape the environment they will be in for the next few years.
PATHWAY programme
The Warwick PATHWAY programme will create a community of aspiring black researchers. One of the key activities includes providing ring-fenced funds (25 awards) for black students in the URSS scheme (where UG students carry out research in the summer, under supervision of academic staff at Warwick.
Pronouns pledge
Part of a programme called ‘Queering University’ which encourages practices that are inclusive of trans and LGBTQUA+ people.
The pledge forms part of an action plan of simple steps that staff and students can engage in to support gender expression and trans identities. One of the steps is to wear a (free) pronoun badge to show support to the community.Inclusive Education Model
TRIW
Tackling Racial Inequality at Warwick (TRIW) is a training programme aimed at staff, to help develop inclusive leadership skills and knowledge to develop a culture that is anti-racist. Staff report feeling more empowered after taking the training to be anti-racist in the community and to better support students. The university has a Race Equality Charter Bronze award.
Say My Name
Personal Tutor training
Thrive - Personal development programme
Thrive™ is an interactive in-person programme, where you will hear from inspirational speakers, and have the option to work with a mentor to support you on your personal development journey. Open to undergraduates and postgraduates, Thrive™ is free to attend.
Umbrella Project: Raising awareness of neurodiversity
Warwick Medical School has been working with the ADHD Foundation to look at how we can raise awareness and understanding of neurodiversity. The Neurodiversity Umbrella Project is a visual representation of all the different minds we have in the UK.
Intercultural Training programme
The programme includes a number of workshops and an online course to help students to better understand, communicate, and build effective relationships with those from different cultural backgrounds.
Free self defence classes
These free self defence classes are for women (& non-binary people) and help equip students with the skills needed for self-defence and boosting confidence, drawing on a range of martial arts and combat sports.
WP Lifecycle student research fund (24/25)
Five funded places for Widening Participation Lifecycle students to undertake research on topics relating to widening participation, social mobility, diversity, inclusion, and inequalities. We recognise the barriers to undertaking research that WP Lifecycle students may face, and would like to provide opportunities to support these students to undertake a research project. £1000 stipends available.
Social Mobility Student Research Hub
The Social Mobility Student Research Hub (SMSRH) provides a platform for students from underrepresented backgrounds to develop their own research projects in areas related to WP, inequality, diversity, and inclusion that are of interest to them. The SMSRH offers funding, research training, an assigned postgraduate mentor, academic support and opportunities for collaboration. 10 paid places available.
"Pay a little joy forward" Pot
At the WMS Cafe in the Gibbet Hill campus, customers can leave a donation in the community pot. This is converted to a token by the Cafe staff for anyone to use towards a drink or food. Why? It's nice to be kind, share good feelings, and give someone a bit of a boost if they need it.
Report and Support
Gender Expression fund
This fund supports students to apply for up to £50 of gender-affirming items (funded by the SU). This initiative was developed by a Warwick student and applications are assessed solely by transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse members of the Warwick Pride. society
Students Union campaigns
The SU offers a range of activities which reflect issues of importance to student, such as
- safe nights out,
- ensuring clubs are welcoming, diverse, inclusive and accessible as possible for people of all abilities and identities,
- tackling race hate and microaggressions,
- creating more opportunities and socials without drinking.
Foundations in Racial Equity (FRE) Moodle
Foundations in Racial Equity (FRE) at Warwick course is a central resource for all students. We recommend that all students engage with this learning and complete the course. Eligible for two Warwick Award points.
Internship programme
This internship programme is for undergraduate students from a widening participation background. All internships are paid.
Ask for Angela
This campaign supports students who need help at Warwick bars and clubs. If students feel unsafe in an SU venue, they can head to the bar and ask for 'Angela'. Staff have been trained to help and support you.
CyberWomen@Warwick
A student led initiative that promotes and celebrates gender diversity in Cybersecurity and fosters a community that prioritises inclusion and strives to enhance gender diversity in this field.
International Student Experience project
These roundtables encourage all international students to share their views and experiences since arriving at Warwick and future plans after graduation, to tell us what’s going well, and areas where we could improve the international student experience.
Workwear Wardrobe
The Workwear Wardrobe initiative has been created with the University’s overall strategy of sustainability in mind and aims to help you build a workwear wardrobe in an affordable way ahead of interviews, assessment centres and gaining work experience.
Mediation service
The mediation service is open to students as well as staff. Mediation allows you to have difficult conversations in a safe environment with a trained impartial mediator. They will facilitate the discussion to help everyone involved to listen to each other and support you as you identify areas of commonality and difference.
Freedom of Speech micro-course
All students will complete a quick 4 to 7-minute micro-course on Freedom of Speech in Term 3, delivered via email or text from the Conduct and Resolution Team. Look out for messages from ‘Good Course’—they’re not spam. For questions, contact conduct@warwick.ac.uk
"Movember"
Movember is an annual event dedicated to raising awareness of men’s health issues. Help us make a difference by getting involved with Movember events and offers this November, 2024. Activities include discounted gym passes, free health checks, and talks.
International Student Success e-course
This online course offers practical advice on living and studying in the UK, peer communication, confidence building, and mental health strategies. The course is packed full of practical tips, real student voices, and myth-busting exercises, as well as external links for extended reading and space for reflection and feedback. It is recognised as part of the Warwick Award scheme. Completion of this course attracts 2 points towards the Award.
Maskulinities
A project aimed at men in sports to explore the positive and negative impacts of masculinity, share a space with other men to open a discussion about their issues and concerns, and explore topics such as sexism and homophobia.
One World Warwick
Our campus unites with global university partners and alumni communities to celebrate Warwick’s international community, connections, opportunities, and impact. This is a fantastic chance for staff and students to warmly welcome new members from around the world into our community, explore and experience the diverse cultures that make Warwick such a vibrant and dynamic place, and celebrate our own unique backgrounds, traditions, and interests.
Neurodiversity Toolkit
This project aimed to help academics at the university to support neuro-divergent students, by creating an interactive toolkit with resources and exemplars collected from the staff community and supported by testimonies from neuro-divergent students. It is hoped that this will reduce the disparity of students' experiences in the future.
Positive Digital Practices
This project supports mental wellbeing for distance, commuter and part-time students. Project partners have co-created resources and initiatives to scale up positive practices in three areas: Learner identities, digital communities, and positive pedagogies.
Support with Student Parking
Support for student parking is available for those who meet specific criteria, including:
- parents or those who have dependents in certain age groups*.
- those registered personal carers for a close relative*.
- those with long-term medical condition/disability (without a blue badge)*.
- those competing at an international level in sport and their training facilities are more than 3 mile radius from campus.
*For detailed definitions and eligibility criteria, please visit the parking webpages.
'Go-to' phrases:
- “Something Warwick is doing in that area is …”
- “Warwick staff and students are engaging in an initiative in that area… “
- “Something exciting to share is…”
- “That’s a really important question. I do know that Warwick has XYZ project which aims to help improve student and staff experience in that area”.
- “One project that is trying to make a difference in that space is…”
- “I don’t know all of the detail, but there is a project about…”
And if you are not sure/need to move on:
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"Can I direct that question to my supervisor at the end of the tour? I want to ensure you get the right information.”
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"I hope that helps… we can pick this up again later if helpful”.
More about the training:
We have trained over 450 Welcome Ambassadors to date. On our last feedback from, 91 per cent of students reporting feeling satisfied with the training. Students reported finding out about projects they had not heard of before and feeling more confident in addressing new or difficult topics.
"I liked how [we] were given examples of how to respond to someone asking a question because that was helpful for a real life scenario". Student feedback.