1. A Case study
The University of Liberia and me.
The Impact of Dialogue in
Student Advocacy
2. Power of dialogue in student
advocacy my experience.
I am Flomo Mau Maiwo from West African and a
Liberian.
I’m a youth and student advocate and leader.
My Passion
Dialogue, Knowledge and experience sharing,
teamwork, realistic and honest goal setting, problem-
solving, creativity, community service, solution focus
initiatives, volunteerism among others.
3. What’s Dialogue?
A space of equal opportunity and politeness that
allows those who differ speak and listen to each
other's gear to finding a remedy; or a focused
and peaceful conversation that leads to a partial
or lasting solution is what I considered as
dialogue for this presentation. In honest
dialogue, fears, preconceptions, win at all cost
must all set aside. It provides space and time to
hear all voices, possibilities and positive way
forward.
In true dialogue, both sides are willing to
change. “Thich Nhat Hanh”
4. What’ Student Advocacy?
Constructive path of resolving educational,
personal and potential campus holdups gear
toward the successful achievement of one
academic goal is what I considered student
advocacy. It links and allow students to engage
or communicate with appropriate authorities at
school in collaboration with faculty and staff in
the best interest of the students, and follows
through to bring a well-organized solution to
student’s concerns.
5. A brief overview of the University of Liberia.
The University of Liberia is a public institution funded
mainly by the Government of Liberia for the education
of Liberians and others. The University now has four
campuses: Capitol Hill, Fendall, Medical School and
Starz-Sinji campus located in Sinji, Grand Cape Mount
County.
It was founded in 1862 as Liberia College and became a
full University in 1951.
The University of Liberia is made of 7 colleges, 4
graduate programs and 3 professional schools.
6. What I met at the University of Liberia
Since the foundation of the University of Liberia, she has slowly advanced
technologically to meet the craving desire and expectations of students and
Liberians in general.
In spite of her olden age and existence, the University is still far away from
modern technological improvement and advancement; a situation that led to
endless of impasses years upon years at the University.
Limited government support (funding) is the key reason administration often
said was responsible for the ill advancement of this state-owned University.
In past as compare to current, there were unimaginable unfriendly academic
environment & atmosphere for students, low personal and faculty profile,
little or no research conducted, bad sanitation conditions, substandard
libraries & laboratories, over crowning of classes, non-digitalized/manual
registration, financial and administrative procedures, limited infrastructure
development limited student support services etc.
These long-running situations became reasons for continual demonstrations
and protest on campuses of the University even when I enrolled.
7. How was I able to change some of these through dialogue.
I enrolled at the University of Liberia in September 2013 and
graduated in December 2018 a year due to the deadly Ebola virus
outbreak in 2014.
Even just at the time of my enrolment at the university, student
standoffs and protests were still frequent and fast coming due to the
situations mentioned above.
Being there, I thought to contribute to finding a remedy to some of
these issues. That led to becoming a student advocate. As a student
advocate and activist, I rose through the rank and file of student
leadership to become among others head of the student government.
In my role as leader of the student government, I used constructive
dialogue in engaging University authorities and government to remedy
some of those long-running situations which were responsible and led
to persistent and consistent standoffs by students.
As the leader of my team, through these civil dialogue engagements
particularly with the office of the President of the Republic of Liberia,
H.E. George M. Weah, in 2018 the University of Liberia for the first
time since its foundation in the 1800s became digitized.
8. Cont.
In addition, I also worked with the President's office to
declare free tuition at the University of Liberia and all
public University and colleges across Liberia.
Moreover, there’s ongoing construction of modern
latrine facilities on campuses of the University to deal
with the sanitation situation.
9. All of these and above were achieve through dialogue.
Hundreds of thousands of undergraduate students nationwide go to college free
of tuition.
The University of Liberia got digitalized through our ability to politely dialogue.
Modern latrine facilities for the first time under construction. The student-
faculty relationship improved to a sensible extent.
National Government giving some attention to the state-owned University.
A new dynamism and approach in student advocacy and activism.
Government student relationship has to a reasonable extent improved.
Importantly for me as a person, dialoguing has thought me the power of having
civil conversations on important matters of concern void of preconceptions, fear,
abuse and false allegations among others.
10. There’s always a need for dialogue
Because it’s rewarding and pay off positive for all
parties
In dialogue, there’s power
Voices of all parties are listened to and heard
Dialogue gives rise to more than one possibilities
or window to problem-solving.
I believe in remedy through peaceful dialogue for the
good of society.
