On Thursday 20th August, 2 young people from Y&H REMY, a young person from AOOS – London and colleagues from PYL and YFSW came together to share training and insights that the groups have gathered through their peer research.   The group such a warm and enthusiastic welcome from staff at the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), when they presented a snapshot of what everyday life is like for young people from the Global South, growing up in the England. Winnie, Ifti, Michelle and Ella have harnessed all that is positive about being, young ‘strong Black women’*. They have marshalled their research and are using it to influence change. The group spoke eloquently about creating REMY and training model for professionals, similar to the work of AOOS, to explore solutions to some of the recurring acts of aggression young Black and Brown people endure as an ongoing reality.  The data provoked curiosity, critical thinking and solution focussed responses from staff at DCMS, because it was grounded in the knowledge of those young women and shared directly from their hearts.

*‘The strong Black woman’ is a colonial ideology that has been used as justification to objectify Black and Brown women. It is also a trope that has been  harnessed by Black and Brown women to amplify their capacity to recover from adversity and continue to thrive. Data from Authoring Our Own Stories and other, existing research, strongly suggests that perpetuating the narrative of the ‘strong Black women’ can create ‘hyper-independence’ and ultimately harm young Black and Brown women’s mental health, which is why it has been an area of concern in our work.