Nine students from Oasis Hadley Academy in Enfield have been recognised at the 2025 Shine School Media Awards for their work on A Question of Colour (AQC), a youth-led podcast created through Action for Race Equality’s Routes2Success (R2S) programme.
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The year 10 students — Curtis Ngemba-Kalumpuni, Jeffery Odoom, Jibril Brimah, Kayden Makangu, Leban Barkhad, Ridwan Mohamud, Sami Isak, Wesley Kommogne and Zion Muingilu — received the Rising Star award and were also highly commended in two additional categories: Best Audio and Best Article on a Designated Topic: ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’.
A Question of Colour (AQC) was developed as part of a Race Equality Action Project (REAP), a special initiative within the ARE’s flagship role-model & mentoring Routes2Success programme, designed to support ethnic minority children and young people aged 10-24 in London.
Through these REAPs, Routes2Success (R2S) supports children and young people to design and lead their own projects addressing racial inequality as well as providing mentorship and guidance in schools with a network of passionate role models and volunteers committed to equity in education.
Over eight weeks, beginning in January 2024, the students worked closely with the R2S team and expert role model, Hepburn Harrison-Graham, to plan, script and record the podcast.
The resulting episodes explored topics including race and identity, Black representation in the media, and personal experiences of the education system. Their award-winning episode, Black Boys in Education, offered a powerful and honest reflection on the challenges faced by Black boys in school and the importance of being seen and supported.
This recognition at the Shine Awards 2025 highlights the importance of creating platforms where young people can share their lived experiences, as well as the value of mentoring and positive role models in helping them grow in confidence and leadership. The podcast also exemplifies the importance of youth voice, particularly from Black, Asian, Arab and Mixed Heritage backgrounds, and the power it holds in challenging perceptions and shaping more inclusive narratives.
Action for Race Equality congratulates the students on their achievement. We would also like to thank Oasis Hadley Academy for their hospitality throughout the project and the Mayor of London’s New Deal for Young People, which has enabled the Routes2Success programme to expand its work in secondary schools across London, delivering expert-led Race Equality Action Projects like this one.
