PhD Tea and Chat: fostering a peer-led support community to shape PGR student voices at HE institutions

This conference presentation shares our experience of developing and running ‘PhD Tea and Chat’, a PGR-led initiative at UAL. Drawing on our experience and the feedback we had received from the PGR student body as student representatives of London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, which led to the creation of ‘PhD Tea and Chat’ in 2021. ‘PhD Tea and Chat’ builds an organic community across six UAL colleges, from all levels of PhD study, now with 200+ student members. This group creates a collaborative and judgment-free space, where PhD students can support each other through research milestones and the daily ups and downs of doctoral life, while supporting connections across the PGR community. The session also explores and reflects on how student voices at PhD level connect with the wider research committee and student forums.