RAISE Buddy Scheme: A Group Reflection

This collaborative autoethnography explores the experiences of three Higher Education practitioners participating in the RAISE Buddy Scheme. Initially joining for professional development and potential collaboration, we found that the scheme evolved into a reflective, supportive, and human‑centred counter-space within an increasingly metric‑driven sector. Through shared dialogue across difference, we cultivated a space of trust, solidarity, and critical friendship that enabled open exploration of identity, belonging, and purpose in academia. Our reflections reveal that the Buddy Scheme offered more than peer support. As a result, this provided a vital site of connection that challenged hierarchical and isolating norms, demonstrating that taking time to “be with others” is both necessary and transformative in contemporary HE.