UCL Student Tara reflects on her journey from Impartial Chair to podcast host. Launched in 2023, the Impartial Chairs programme is a sector leading skills development programme run by Students’ Union UCL to create resilient and reflective student leaders.
When I first stepped into the role of an impartial chair, I wasn’t entirely sure what it would demand of me. I quickly discovered that neutrality is less about standing back and more about leaning in listening carefully, holding space for disagreement, and helping conversations move forward without taking sides. As part of the UCL Impartial Chair Programme I have had multiple incredible learning and experience opportunities, and it led me to co-hosting ‘The Bridge: A Disagreeing Well Podcast’. I have experienced personal growth, developed my leadership skills and hopefully I have had the chance to make a real impact.
Neutrality is less about standing back and more about leaning in listening carefully, holding space for disagreement, and helping conversations move forward without taking sides
The Impartial Chairs Programme aims to equip students at UCL with the skills and techniques to navigate difficult discussions in a polarised age. I approached the programme as a postgraduate student assuming I was already in a space where I could have these discussions; and I was confronted by the ways in which I was challenged and pushed over this past year. Training with Debate Mate, Active Bystander workshops, and chairing practice provided a foundation for engaging with disagreement using empathy and respect. It was not until we embarked on our experiential learning trip to Northern Ireland.
Our trip to Northern Ireland
Lead by the Centre for International Experiential Learning we got the opportunity to explore conflict through the lens of the ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland. Not only was this fascinating and a great learning opportunity but it confronted many of us with just how ignorant we are in the UK to our own histories of conflict. We spoke with former combatants, police officers, and young people still grappling with the legacy of division. Standing in Belfast, surrounded by walls still marked by history, I realised how little I had known about my own country’s conflicts and how easily ignorance allows division to persist.
I realised how little I had known about my own country’s conflicts and how easily ignorance allows division to persist.
This trip also struck me on a personal level. My partner is from Northern Ireland, yet it was only through these conversations and the reading I did around them that I began to truly grasp the depth of their family’s experience. At one point, I caught myself feeling instinctive sympathy for one group over another. That moment forced me to confront my own biases. I came to see that impartiality doesn’t mean pretending we have none; it means acknowledging them honestly, challenging them, and creating space for empathy despite them.
Working on The Bridge
The Bridge: a Disagreeing Well podcast from UCL, is the first podcast of it’s kind across the Higher Education Sector, exploring what it means to engage in meaningful disagreement. each episode brings together diverse voices from a range of backgrounds to debate some of the most controversial and thought-provoking issues of our time; from social media bans, toxic masculinity, the ethics of tourism, veganism and so much more.
Facilitating conversation through ‘The Bridge’ podcast taught me about how to interrogate the questions we ask, and how we approach conflict over triggering or difficult conversations. Working alongside Dr Melanie Garson allowed me to watch an expert mediator in action. She guided our guests through several activities that pushed their boundaries and allowed all of us to focus on the issue at hand whilst also pushing guests to step into each other’s shoes and come to a point where they could disagree agreeably.
Applications for the next cohort of Impartial Chairs are now open and will close on 5 October 2025. Click here to apply.