De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU) is running a new initiative called Say It Right and students have the opportunity to get involved.
What is Say It Right?
The aim of Say It Right is to normalise the pronunciation of non-English sounding names. Whether it be students, colleagues, neighbours or people we just met, it’s important that we take the time to learn how to say people’s names correctly.
Kaozara Oyalowo, Student Opportunities Coordinator (Volunteering and Mentoring) at DSU, said: “I started this initiative because I think it is important that we become comfortable with hearing names that are not familiar to us and taking the time to familiarise ourselves with them.
“Growing up, I had different cases of where people didn’t even try to say my name, they just wrote it off as too difficult. I am sure there are staff and students who have had similar experiences and this is a chance to celebrate those names and educate people on the correct pronunciation.
“Hopefully, this initiative is another way we can contribute to creating an inclusive campus for all.”
How can students get involved?
Students with non-English sounding names can send DSU a short, 30 seconds maximum video which includes:
- My name is…
- That is pronounced…
- The meaning of my name is...
You can watch DSU’s Equality and Diversity Executive, Diya Rattanpal’s video here.
Please send your video to dsucomms@dmu.ac.uk by Friday 4 December.
Posted on Thursday 19 November 2020