Black History Month: Reflections from the youth sector

We too often think of history as something in the past that has got us to where we are today. But the reality is, we’re all making history – all of the time. Recently, a colleague of mine shared with me a quote by Black Muslim change-maker, Safia Jama, that helped me form my own perspective on this:
 

“Black History Month is a time for us to reflect on the history of Black people, and at the same time gives us hope for what the future holds.”
 

In recent years, the wider charity sector has taken some initial steps in recognising that,  just because we may all feel we have noble missions, it doesn’t shelter us from valid criticism of our inclusivity in our actions (or inaction). Campaigns like #CharitySoWhite epitomise this, and have rightly challenged the sector to discuss racism openly and frankly, and commit to tackling it in all its forms.

The youth sector gives hope and direction to young people’s lives and advocates for meaningful change. But to do this, we need to be able to create platforms for meaningful engagement to all young people across the UK – not just some. And if we’re serious about creating a better future for young people, then we also need to be serious about learning and holding ourselves accountable if and when we miss the mark. 

Initiatives like UK Youth’s Young Changemakers programme – which will recruit young people with experience in mental health and racial injustice to change mental health provision for the better – is a firm start to this commitment. But there is more to be done, and our efforts must match the scale of the change needed.

Across October, UK Youth and the Centre for Youth Impact have been using our Just One Question series to learn more about how the sector has celebrated and embraced this year’s Black History Month. 

Just One Question asks youth practitioners one question, once a week, and draws together the voices of those who work directly with young people. This month, we did things differently – and have asked youth practitioners a selection of questions centred around Black History Month.

How are youth organisations marking this year’s Black History Month?

Black History Month exists because the history, struggles and contributions of Black people in the UK are starkly overlooked. The month gives us a chance to confront these difficult truths, but to also engage in a genuine celebration of the contributions made by many Black people across history. 

Because of this, it’s great to see that the two most popular ways respondents marked Black History Month were having more dedicated conversations about race, and celebrating Black culture. 

But there’s also a real sense that youth organisations are getting bolder in how they approach Black history: one in three have either collaborated with other organisations to create joint initiatives, invited speakers from their local community, or run a series of dedicated events designed to mark the month. With the theme of this year’s Black History Month being “proud to be”, giving those in the local community a genuine voice and platform allows us all to appreciate the rich tapestry of Black history in the UK.

Are youth organisations reaching young Black people in line with their local populations?

Most (61%) told us they are reaching young Black people at least in line with the local population or, in some cases, even more. There’s a definite sense that Black inclusion and representation gets stronger the more we confront our own data. As one respondent told us:
 

“Two years ago, data told us BAME young people were underrepresented. Over the summer programme, targeted groups and BAME worker recruitment have all contributed to a huge increase in use by BAME young people across the city.”
 

However, young Black people are still underrepresented in many of the organisations we spoke to. A responsibility to both identify and fix this is something that we all share – no matter the organisation or department.

As a researcher, my challenge to myself has been to recognise where biases can creep into my own work. As an example, labelling young people as being either ‘white’ or ‘BAME’ is a convenient choice for those of us in programme evaluation. It makes analysis neat, simple, and easy to report.

But by clumping together many different identities and lived experiences into a catch-all group, are we just making white identities the social default? Are we writing young Black people’s stories for them? We may fail to recognise the scale of the change needed to improve the reach and inclusion of our services because our data isn’t equipped to show the problem in the first place. We All Count recently shared some interesting perspectives and recommendations on this.
 

How confident do practitioners feel having conversations with young people about race and racism?

It is encouraging to find that a clear majority of respondents are confident in having discussions with young people about race and racism. These conversations take many different shapes – such as creating an environment where everyone can learn from each other’s experiences, and openly addressing instances of racism and microaggression. These conversations are often unique and tailored to the individual, so it’s vital that all youth practitioners have the confidence and awareness to deal with these personal experiences. 

There is still room for improvement. The number of respondents who feel “very” or “extremely” confident at having these conversations – rather than just moderately confident – is much smaller. 

Where can we go from here?

Youth work as a profession needs to become more diverse – respondents felt that this was particularly important at senior levels. They also prioritised dedicated bursaries for youth work training and more research into the impact of institutional racism on youth work. 

Like most other sectors, the youth sector is still at the beginning of its journey in creating a future free of racial injustice. A crucial challenge for us is not just embarking on a consultative process like this as a ‘checkbox’ for fulfilling our responsibility to young Black people. By asking these questions and holding ourselves accountable to our own data, we can begin commemorating Black History Month all year round.

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If you work or volunteer for an organisation working with young people, you can take part in our Just One Question series here.