On September 14th, ARE had the pleasure of launching our new Leadership Development Programme, aimed at empowering young adults aged 16-24 from Black, Asian, Mixed-heritage, and Arab backgrounds. This eight to ten week programme aims to provide young people with the tools and skills needed to enhance their leadership abilities and prepare for future challenges.
Through this period, young leaders will participate in weekly sessions and by the end of the course will have the skills to plan and execute their own social action projects addressing a race equality issue.
Saturday’s pilot session was led by Routes2Sucess Programme manager Brianna Cyrus; ARE Deputy Chief Executive Indra Nauth; Training and learning Lead Tebussum Rashid; expert role models Hepburn Harrison-Graham and Greg Bonsu, and ARE Associate Karl Murray.
Together, they guided young people through the foundational stages of leadership development, providing insight into what it means to lead in the 21st century.
“I was thrilled to welcome the first cohort of young leaders to ARE’s inaugural Leadership Programme on Saturday. The room buzzed with bright, enthusiastic individuals dedicated to making a difference in their lives and stepping into leadership roles.”
Beianna Cyrus, Programme Manager (Routes2Success)
Following introductions, aspiring leaders had the chance to meet Leadership Programme facilitators, including Karl Murray and Greg Bonsu. Tebussum Rashid shared insights on their leadership journeys, and included an introduction to key leadership traits and qualities, aimed at helping participants identify and develop the characteristics that make effective leaders.
Towards the end, young people dove into “Leadership in Action,” where they began formulating ideas for their Social Action Projects before they concluded with evaluations and reflections on what the participants had learned.
“Saturday’s session was a great insight into what the Leadership Programme is going to look like and what we can expect to learn from it. I am looking forward to starting the programme properly and I am excited to learn as much as I can from the facilitators.”
Liam Campbell
Leadership Development Programme attendee
Why this programme?
National statistics show that there is an existing gap in the number of people in leadership roles from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds.
The Leadership Development Programme helps young people acquire these skills earlier in their professional careers to help address the underrepresentation of these groups in leadership positions.
The Colour of Progress 2024 report by Diversity Economics, states that “career progression for Black, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani women is riddled with barriers, often rooted in systemic biases and inadequate representation in leadership.
Only half of 80 surveyed UK companies had commendable ethnic-minority representation in executive roles, indicating a severe underrepresentation.”
The programme is part of ARE’s ongoing commitment to supporting young people from underrepresented communities, providing them with the skills they need to succeed as future leaders.
Feedback from the session was overwhelmingly positive, with many participants describing it as youth-centered and authentic. Our skilled facilitators filled the day with practical, engaging activities designed to empower the participants for the course ahead. We are excited to see the growth of these young leaders over the next nine weeks!”
Brianna Cyrus, Programme Manager
To find out more about our work with young people, discover Routes2Success or sign up to our newsletter to receive our dedicated young people, schools’ and educators’ newsletter.
If you’re interested in joining the next training cohort, you can register your interest by completing this form.
Author: William De Sousa, ARE PR and Communications Apprentice