School and the Migrant
Experience in Britain

Autograph hosted a conversation examining the lived experience of the British school system across generations. The panel shared experiences of navigating education within migrant communities and the possibilities for cultural exchange between parents, teachers and students.

The discussion was lead by Yannick Buditu, founder of the education podcast 2Cool4School and former Head of Year at a London Secondary School. He was joined by his mother Helene Kambala, a first-generation immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who shared her experience raising her son in a school system that was entirely new to her. Nick Fotsing also joined the talk, who had recently completed his A-levels and was a former student of Yannick.

Following the panel, there was an interactive session where guests were invited to respond to prompts about their experiences in education and viewed our exhibition Dianne Minnicucci: Belonging and Beyond. The event concluded with time to connect and reflect over refreshments.

This event was inspired by Dianne Minnicucci’s exhibition. Central to the show was Dianne's role as a secondary school photography teacher. The photography on display was the result of the Visible Practise Residency, a project to support art and photography teachers from global majority backgrounds. For 6 months, Minnicucci brought her studio into the classroom, challenging traditional student-teacher hierarchies and redefining the studio as one of shared dialogue and inquiry with her students.

Please note: This event was recorded and shared on the 2Cool4School podcast - a platform that features conversations with policy experts, practitioners, educators and parents about developments in education. If you asked a question, only your audio was recorded. Filming primarily captured the backs of audience members.