What supports anti-racist practice in youth social action?
This blog, focused on anti-racist practice in youth social action (YSA), is part of a learning series produced as part of the #iwill Fund Impact Evaluation and Learning Contract (IELC). We specifically look at four themes that can better the quality of YSA practice – these are: mental health and wellbeing, equity and antiracism, youth-led design and accessibility in YSA. It is hoped that by reading this it will raise awareness of anti-racism within YSA activities, ultimately helping all children and young people to have a thriving future.
In our Equity and Anti-Racism workshop session, we were told by young people of colour that they don’t feel conversations about racism – and specifically, anti-racism - are that common in their experience of youth social action (YSA), particularly in youth groups and schools in predominantly white areas.
Practitioners also shared experiences, such as going into settings where there is only one young Black or Person of Colour (POC) in the room who may be feeling isolated amongst their white peers and not really knowing how best to support them – especially if the visit is fleeting and their work is not embedded.
Part of the issue, we were told, stemmed from having little to no equity and anti-racist practice training or conversations about what equity and anti-racism really means and how best to support it in practice. This wasn’t the case for all participants. Some organisations fully operated within an anti-racist framework, while others worked in areas where there are very few opportunities to meet, live and work with people that come from global majority communities.
In the Learning Strand sessions, all of us felt that there is more of a role that YSA can take in bringing awareness around racism and anti-racist practice to young people across the country. But why is there such a gap? Why is anti-racist practice not more on the agenda, and how might we ensure momentum around these issues?
Some reflections on youth social action and anti-racist practices
Organisations often give attention to supporting representation, creating meaningful peer-led spaces and/or elevating diverse voices within practice. However, the discussions we held highlighted the lack of confidence and underlying fears within the sector to openly talk about racism and anti-racist practice, potentially creating a reticence and self-inhibiting culture that can centre dominant identities, privileges and power.
Additional responsibilities, emotional and racialised labour
One area of reflection that came up within the Learning Strand was the recognition that anti-racist practice is likely to require a much higher degree of emotional labour for Black and POC people. For example, the George Floyd tragedy and Black Lives Matter movements meant that there was suddenly a lot more focus on Black people and People of Colour being asked to educate and inform others. In our discussions, it was clear that how we meet and manage different demands can only be understood by asking people, going at their pace and creating the supportive and reflective spaces around the work – including through proactive allyship that can meaningfully help carry the load.
Building young people’s resilience and embodied awareness
One practitioner reflected that sometimes we can shy away from asking young people with racialised identities from taking the lead in anti-racist practice as they may be concerned about the potential emotional labour involved. Within the sessions we discussed the value of having these conversations in the open with young people, identifying what emotional impacts there might be and allowing the young person to have a more active role in risk assessing and decision-making around navigating what racialised labour might mean to them.
Decolonising Youth Work
What might youth social action with anti-racist practice at its core truly look like? Within the sessions, we discussed how truly centring Black and POC young people within projects means giving them the full autonomy and resources to create their own, bespoke campaigns, activities and actions. This might mean that practitioners and funders are required to expand the possibilities and their own expectations around what might be created. For example, if a group of Black and POC young people want to respond to their racialised experiences by developing a programme that centres joy and rest, organisations and commissioners should be willing to support them in their allyship.
Allyship and relational practice
Other reflections also considered what it means to do anti-racist work in predominantly white areas and the important role that youth workers, educators, parents, carers and other adults have in naming and modelling anti-racist practice for young people. Being a role model is important to help empower young people to stand up against racism, or to help model effective and meaningful challenge. For example, taking ownership of the ‘awkwardness’, or discomfort that might be felt in bringing conversations about race into white majority settings and ensuring that anti-racist practice is always on the agenda not just when it’s ‘about racism’, and even when only white people are present.
So, what might help support anti-racist practice?
Throughout the Learning Strand, practitioners, Match Funders and young people surfaced many examples of practice that they have found supportive, as well as suggesting new ways of working and potential opportunities for change, including:
Policies and codes of conduct that can help to create a sense of safety for young Black and People of Colour, particularly those operating within majority white spaces.
Funding and time for peer support networks and spaces.
Equity Diversity and Inclusion (allyship) groups within organisations that actively change things in the workplace that needs to be changed.
Developing appropriate resources for children and young people to build their understanding and awareness of racialised issues.
Working towards having diverse representation at all levels within organisations, within publications and images – making sure not to perpetuate stereotypes.
Funders bringing intentionality into their grant-making opportunities, processes, delivery and evaluation.
Adults working in this space being role models for all young people. This means modelling responses that help actively challenge racism – for white professionals to step into allyship, and for Black and POC professionals to model celebrating, creating boundaries and holding space.
Having lines of accountability and visibility that stretch in all directions up down and across organisations.
Final thoughts
In summary, the Learning Strand offered a small window of opportunity for adults and young people to come together and reflect on what anti-racist practice means to them and how it might be furthered within their work.
Some key questions were raised and then taken back into people’s practice and organisations to further the discussions and actions raised within the workshops and Action Learning sessions, providing the movement with further food for thought and action, such as:
How might we better equip staff, children and young people operating in non-diverse spaces to be able to promote / support anti-racism and equity?
How might we better embed anti-racist practice in Youth Social Action, as young people, as practitioners, as Match Funders?
How might we better redistribute power to young people to challenge racism?