DRIVE Change is an award-winning alumni programme designed to increase the visibility of under-represented groups and celebrate their distinctiveness.
Through DRIVE Change we aim to share the diverse lived experiences of our alumni community and provide inspiration and support to students who may face personal barriers. We also want to be part of the conversation about how organisations can help people to be their authentic selves at work.
DRIVE Change comprises a mixture of online events, mentoring support, panel discussions and digital content. It also points to resources provided by people and organisations we are connected to.
In 2022 we were delighted to win a CASE Circle of Excellence Gold Award for our work, which recognised it as sector leading.
If you would like to get involved in DRIVE Change, we’d love to hear from you. Email us and a member of the team will get back to you.
Read our alumni content
Watch our previous events
Self-Sabotage to Superhero
In this powerful Self-sabotage to Superhero Webinar, we’ve got the answers for you. You'll learn all the details you need to build your confidence by doing what you do naturally.
Watch the Self-Sabotage to Superhero event
Thriving at Work
Discover how the right mindset and high expectations of workplace culture can help us all to fulfil our potential and thrive at work.
Watch the ‘Thriving at Work’ event
Out at Work
Hear four BU alumni share their experiences of what it means to be openly gay in the workplace. Our panellists discuss the challenges and opportunities, as well as how businesses can do more to enable people to be their authentic selves at work.
Women at Work: Breaking Free of the Unentitled Mindset
This event is rooted in the ‘Women at Work’ report published by The Female Lead, a charity founded by BU alumna and honorary awardee Edwina Dunn OBE. The report explores issues facing women at the mid-stage of their careers and highlights some potentially outdated presumptions, as well as persistent problems.
Watch the ‘Women at Work: Breaking Free of the Unentitled Mindset’ event
Design Thinking and Ideation
This interactive session explores the Design Thinking process and how to apply a people-centred approach when solving complex problems and challenges. The session is led by Nathaniel Hawley, Co-founder of Divergent Thinking, Director of Engagement at Forbes Ignite, neurodiversity expert and advocate for diversity of thought.
Find out about alumni mentoring
Our Black Alumni Mentoring Programme matches BU graduates with current black students to increase their sense of belonging and provide them with valuable career support.
It was developed in 2021-22 in partnership with SUBU in response to feedback from students and to help tackle an attainment gap which exists between black students and their white peers. Following the pilot in 2021-22, here’s what some of our first mentors had to say about the experience:
“One of the very first things I learnt from my lecturers when I started my degree at Bournemouth University in 2009, is that Public Relations should be about two-way communication. I view mentoring in the same way, as an opportunity to learn and grow together with my mentees based on sharing ideas, experiences, and aspirations. If I can help people to feel more confident and better prepared to realise their dreams, then I’ll have achieved my personal goal as a mentor.”
- Kwilole Chisuse-van der Boom, Account Director at Ashfield Medcomms
"I wanted to be involved in the alumni mentoring programme as since leaving BU, I've continued to learn both about myself and how to navigate the corporate world mostly through conversations with people slightly further along in their careers than I. Having appreciated these conversations, I was keen to help BU students transition from student life to working life."
- Sam Johnston, HR Business Partner, DUAL Group
At the end of the pilot, we caught up with some of our mentors and colleagues to discuss the programme. Hear more in this event recording.
Alumni interviews
Get career support
The Female Lead
The BU Alumni Association is proud to partner with The Female Lead, an educational charity dedicated to finding the factors that limit women’s choices and fulfilment and amplifying women’s voices to drive change. The Female Lead is founded by Edwina Dunn OBE, a data science entrepreneur, BU graduate and Honorary Graduate.
Here’s how to make the most of what’s on offer:
- Take the Fulfilment Finder survey – by taking this online survey you will gain a deeper knowledge about yourself and discover what is making you feel fulfilled, as well as areas you may want to change or focus on
- Listen to the podcasts – hear the stories of brilliant women talking about the key moments that made them who they are
- Discover the latest research – take a fresh look at factors affecting women’s career progression and how social media impacts girls’ aspirations through evidence-based research
- Follow the charity on social media – for inspirational, thought-provoking and uplifting content
You can hear more from Edwina Dunn in this talk delivered as part of our Leadership Track series in 2020; and listen to perspectives on the charity’s Women at Work survey in this panel discussion we held in October 2021.
If you are a BU graduate working to tackle gender-based inequalities, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch via [email protected]