Social Justice is at the heart of everything we do at Fircroft. Read how we continue the legacy of social justice that has always been an important value at the college.
We have always been an inclusive college. With the principles of social justice embedded within our college’s values and the ultimate vision of providing the local community with learning to become a better world. The Coronavirus decimated the communities we knew, isolated us all from each other and we are now still coming to terms with a very new way of living. As humans we are not meant to live apart from each other and being a useful and physical part of society is fundamental to human survival in many ways. The ripples and shockwaves of the effects of the Coronavirus are still with us, with many people bewildered and baffled at how they found themselves in isolation during lockdown and are puzzled and confused about how to return to a busy, technology-driven and in some ways, a rather less friendly new world. We hear and feel this at the college constantly. Sad stories of despair, frustration, depression, anger from students, each with their own unique and very individual story. As if life wasn’t bad enough for some of them, the Coronavirus and the events since, has put the boot in. Some lost loved ones to the Coronavirus. Now, we are no longer subjected to an international killer virus but other major threats prevail such as the rapidly rising cost of living, fewer outreach opportunities within the community and the current instability of public services that we all need so desperately to survive and thrive.
How We Help
Thanks to funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority, the courses and immersive learning environment that we have always provided aim to empower our students to further integrate into their community, stand proud, have a voice and be counted as unique and equally valuable individuals. We have always embedded social justice throughout the courses we offer and the whole ethos of the college. Social justice can be described as “justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities and privileges within a society” (Oxford Languages, online).
We vehemently condemn any form of prejudice shown to any member of society and will not tolerate or support any form of racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism, religious discrimination and all other forms of prejudice, in any way. We are a vibrant, supportive and caring place because we look at the individual – with both students and staff. We have always had representatives from many groups within society on our staff and we employ people who we feel are right for the job. We constantly strive to ensure our workforce reflects the colourful, diverse community we are part of.
We have a diverse student population with 49% of our students in 2021/2022 coming from ethnic minority backgrounds. Work will always continue to expand our student recruitment into areas of the community that we have not yet explored and to increase recruitment from those areas that need accessible and relevant support.
Realising we are not perfect and always have more to learn, we ensure that our staff, as well as students, embrace lifelong learning and participating in continuous professional development is part of every job description. We educate ourselves about the society we live in to inform ourselves and our students, celebrating diversity and learning about the many injustices in our communities. We constantly explore, along with our students, how we can raise awareness of, and challenge, these injustices in appropriate and effective ways in order to be a part of the much needed change to make the world a better place for us all to live in.
