• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Action for Race Equality

Action for Race Equality

Empowering Young People who are Black, Asian and of Mixed Heritage

  • ARE at Work
    • Programmes & Projects
      • Building Ethnic Diversity in the Youth Employability Sector
      • Evidence into Action
      • The Graduate Connector Programme
      • Routes2Success
      • Stronger Futures
      • UPLIFT Programme
      • Windrush Justice Programme
    • Education
    • Employment
      • Ethnicity Pay Gap
      • A Journey to Inclusion
    • Criminal justice
      • Alliance for Police Accountability
      • The Gangs Matrix
    • Training & Consultancy
    • Policy and Research
  • Who we ARE
    • Team
    • Trustees
    • Funders
    • Meet the Youth Action Network
    • History
  • ARE Community
    • Voluntary & Community organisations
    • Young People
    • Schools, colleges and training organisations
    • Collective Impact Partnerships
    • Policy makers, researchers
    • Diversity & Inclusion Experts
    • Media
    • Businesses
  • ARE Voices
  • Take action
    • Work with us
    • Youth Voice
    • Donate
  • Show Search
Hide Search
Home/ARE comment/Young people on employment, allyship and collaboration

Young people on employment, allyship and collaboration

Action for Race Equality hosted its inaugural Youth Employment Conference on Thursday, February 22, 2024. At the heart of this discussion were the young people themselves, including Ambassadors from our ten-year long Moving on Up programme and members of the Youth Action Network who are shaping our Building Ethnic Diversity in the Youth Employability Sector programme.

With the recent release of Youth Futures Foundation’s new report on prejudice or discrimination faced by ethnic minority young people in the workplace, ARE believes it’s vital that young people speak up on the issues that matter to them.

Read their reflections on the messages they took away from the ARE conference, and what’s most important when it comes to tackling employment inequalities.

Impactful change is only possible through strong leadership and collaboration. This was the message that stayed with me after the ARE conference. Esteemed speakers such as David Hughes CBE, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, and Sandra Kerr CBE, Director of Race at BITC, both spoke to this: they suggested that change can be achieved when there are clear organisational structures within workplaces, where each level is open to scrutiny, but also able to foster a sense of growth and belonging. This deeply resonated with me, as it helped me to think through my current aim of creating an alumni network at my own Secondary School, and the vital role of leadership to ensure that any change gets properly implemented.

During the conference, I also helped co-facilitate a workshop which asked attendees whether more activities within schools/further education/higher education institutions were needed to connect young people from ethnic minority backgrounds to employers. It was inspiring to see how participants immediately offered advice to help individuals they had just met, due to a shared sense of purpose in reducing social inequalities. This conference proved a welcome reminder that a real, collaborative drive to improve our society does exist, and that visions for a better future for young Black, Asian and mixed heritage people are indeed possible.

Sahil Sandhu

Youth Action Network
My experience at ARE’s conference was very positive. I found it striking that we had an event focusing specifically on young Black, Asian and mixed heritage people, and that we saw our conversations and ideas become something that attendees took inspiration from.

During the conference, I gave a short speech on disability and intersectionality, something which I’d never done before. Sometimes, saying the word ‘disability’ can feel like a dirty word, but being able to claim that word in front of a huge audience was extremely empowering. It encouraged me to speak more freely about my experiences as a young person with an invisible disability, and a woman of colour. I likewise enjoyed Sandra Kerr’s speech, particularly on the BITC’s Race at Work Charter because she drew attention to how measures are being taken to make companies and organisations accountable to addressing discrimination in the workplace if they are signatories to this charter, and indirectly influence other companies to follow suit.

Ishitha Islam

Youth Action Network
The conference was incredible. Before the event had even started, there was an environment where people could connect with each other. I spoke to other attendees about my issues and experiences, namely around code-switching. Once the event kicked off, it was amazing to see fellow young people able to express their views on topics they were passionate about on the day. When I stepped up to take part in the panel, I was nervous – but that quickly disappeared because I was in a room with people who wanted to help me feel empowered and express myself. For me, it was moving to hear Ambrose Qashie, Skills Manager at HS2, speak about the times he had given his employers a different surname, due to fear of being rejected. I have felt that same fear because of a false narrative that some employers may put on my name. I’ve learnt you must be proud of your identity, and be yourself. A key lesson was Sandra Kerr CBE, telling young people that you must learn to take feedback. This resonated with me, because many take feedback as disrespect, but its actually intended to help you improve your work, or improve you as a whole. This is something I want to implement into my daily life.

Mohammed Jalloh

Moving on Up Ambassador
Excitement, adrenaline and hope. These were the feelings that ran through the whole ARE Conference. It left me and my peers elated. I am glad I was able to take part in a panel discussion with employers such as Thames Water and HS2, as a representative of the Middle Eastern community, speaking of my experiences as a Lebanese student, and moving to the UK. The conference was more than simply providing a platform for employers: it was also about elevating young people’s voices and addressing their concerns.

I felt that each moment during the conference ignited something in us, and through it all was reminded there are people out there committed to improving employment outcomes for young people like me.

Lynn El-Masri

Youth Action Network

As young people, it can be scary seeing certain statistics of other people’s experiences, however seeing what’s being done ‘behind the scenes’ and having a seat at the table really stayed with us. As young people, there is a tendency that when

Published on:
28/03/2024

Categories: ARE comment, ARE news, ARE opinion, ARE project update, ARE voices, Young PeopleTags: ARE news, ARE voices, employment, Moving on up, young people, youth panel, youth voice

Primary Sidebar

Areas of work

  • News
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Criminal justice
  • Training & Consultancy
  • Policy & Research
  • ARE voices

Latest

  • Explore what’s on: Ethnic Minority Graduate Week 2025 Schedule
  • Mandatory Ethnicity Pay Gap Reporting: ARE’s 8 Key Recommendations
  • We’re Hiring!: Policy and Communications Officer (Windrush Justice Programme)

Explore more

Looking for information on a completed ARE project? If you can’t find it on our website, let us know.

Training & Consultancy

... a very thought provoking Diversity and Unconscious bias training session for all of our line managers. The trainers were excellent at providing …

Find out how we can help your organisation take action on race equality. about Training & Consultancy

Footer

2nd Floor, 200a Pentonville Road, London N1 9JP
Registered Charity No 1056043
Company registration No 03203812

Action for Race Equality © 2025

  • Privacy Policy
  • Safeguarding Policy
  • Contact
  • Training & Consultancy
  • News
  • Opportunity
  • Publications
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

We use cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorised as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyse and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Go to mobile version