A student voice for UNSW projects and initiatives

The UNSW Students as Partners Consultative Group (SCON) was established to reflect and engage with diverse lived experiences and needs of the student body within university programs and broader decision making. It consults on university projects and initiatives, drawing on the students’ individual lived experiences. The group includes students from culturally diverse and migrant backgrounds, students with disability, parents, carers and students from LGBTQIA+ communities.  

Working with SCON

The group is made up of 18 current UNSW undergraduate and postgraduate students who represent UNSW’s diverse student body.   

SCON members consult on a wide range of campaigns and projects and contribute to policy review, the improvement of processes, communications, events, responses to social movements and creative ideation. This process enables students to hone their advocacy, public speaking, meeting and leadership skills, while developing their understanding of equitable, inclusive and diverse working environments. 
 

Latest projects

SCON has consulted on a range of projects including the contract cheating campaign, Women’s Wellbeing Academy and RESPECT Week.

To engage SCON or to learn more, please email scon@unsw.edu.au.

What you need to know

  1. Send an email at scon@unsw.edu.au expressing your interest in engaging the group of your project or initiative.
  2. The SCON Project Officer will organise a meeting to learn more about your project and guide you to write your project brief for the group.
  3. Complete a one-page project brief, provided by the Project Officer, outlining the key questions you wish SCON to consider prior to your meeting.
  4. Attend the SCON meeting either virtually or face-to-face. You will be allocated 30 mins to run a mini focus group with the SCON.
  5. After the meeting, you will be sent minutes and any additional responses that were not shared during the meeting.

Engaging SCON for student-related projects and initiatives is valuable, regardless of what phase of your project you are at. SCON can support the project ideation phase, provide feedback at draft stages, or consult on the final product or program. If you are unsure whether or not your program is suitable, get in touch and we can discuss.

All students in SCON are paid casual employees in the Division of EDI. The Division covers the cost of these meetings, at no expense to the staff engaging with the group.

Testimonials

“The Students as Partners Consultative Group is a great way to engage with a diverse group of UNSW students for feedback on specific projects. This group is a great resource and helps provide invaluable insight to ensure that projects are relevant to the UNSW Community.” Tasch (Consent Campaign)

 

“The feedback and input from the Students as Partners Consultative Group has been a fantastic way for us to understand the student perspective more deeply. Consulting the Group on topical issues (contract cheating) we want to engage students on meant that we could reality test ideas and messaging with a group of people who are not only students themselves, but also have their ear to the ground and understand a vast array of students' needs.” Jodi (Contract Cheating Campaign)

2023 Members

SCON members offer feedback on relevant university projects or activities based on their individual lived experiences. The group includes students from culturally diverse and migrant and refugee backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ communities and low socio-economic backgrounds. The group also includes mature students, students with disability, women in STEMM fields, and parents and carers. See below for more information on the individual students. 

More information

The Division aims to create an inclusive campus for students and staff to reach their full potential and to promote the value and benefits of diversity for students, staff and visitors.

The UNSW Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) 2022-2025 commits the University to removing the barriers people with disability face when it comes to accessing and succeeding in tertiary education. 

Explore UNSW's contributions to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, designed to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges, such as ending poverty and hunger, climate change, the reduction of inequalities and more.