Mia Millar, Product Design, Highly Commended 2025 Sustainability Degree Show Prize
Queer Cert
My project, Queer Cert, was developed through research into the coming out journeys of queer individuals and aims to leverage the transition into university or college, using this new beginning to support and encourage the exploration of identity. By working closely with institutions, Queer Cert promotes education around identity, encourages individuals to celebrate their own identities, and drives policy change by embedding queer perspectives and values into the heart of the institution. The programme champions visible and diverse role models, centres allyship over segregation, and fosters a culture of inclusion and shared understanding.
The Queer Cert process includes:
-Signing up to begin the certification process -Analysing student experience surveys to gain insight into the institution’s current culture -Collaborating with Queer Cert to identify areas for improvement in fostering a more inclusive environment -An identity-focused workshop that encourages reflection on personal identity and its social importance for students and staff -Establishing a Queer Cert Council, embedded within the student council, to drive real and meaningful change -Training and supporting visible, accessible LGBTQ+ role models across campus -Being assessed against the Five Pillars of Exploration framework -And finally, achieving certified Queer Cert status as recognition of your institution’s commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion.
This project promotes social sustainability by creating an environment where LGBTQ+ individuals feel safe, valued, and supported within educational institutions. By fostering acceptance, allyship, and policy change, Queer Cert addresses inequalities that often marginalise LGBTQ+ communities. Additionally, the project’s focus on embedding queer voices and role models into institutional structures means it is designed for long-term cultural change. Rather than a temporary fix, it aims to create ongoing, systemic improvements to how universities and colleges approach diversity and inclusion.
Watch the Queer Cert video