Action for Race Equality

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

Young people
advocating for race equality.

Young people from Black, Asian, Mixed-heritage and minority ethnic backgrounds lie at the heart of our work to achieve race equality, which is why we are proud to have created a specialist Youth Action Network. This has been made possible thanks to generous funding from the Youth Futures Foundation.

Youth Action

The Youth Action Network (YAN) is our collective of young leaders aged 16-25 who are passionate about tackling racial inequality and shaping a fairer society.

Originally launched in 2024 with six members, the Network has now more than doubled growing into an independent body of young people from Black, Asian, Mixed-heritage and minority ethnic backgrounds across the UK.

Together, they bring their powerful voice, lived experiences, creativity, and leadership to help influence ARE’s work and ensure that young people are at the heart of how we deliver positive and equitable future for the next generation.

DISCOVER THE first beginnings of the YAN

Why this work matters.

Young people have consistently told us about the challenges they face: the cost of living, the pressure to succeed in education, barriers to employment, racism, and the impact of mental health struggles. These are big issues and tackling them requires youth voices at the centre of the conversation.

The Youth Action Network exists to amplify those voices. Members contribute ideas, shape projects, speak at national events, and work with policymakers and organisations to challenge inequality and create real solutions.

The issue at stake

A recent survey of over 2000 young people carried out by the Youth Futures Foundation tells us.

%
of young people have faced some form of workplace
or labour market
discrimination
%
are worried about barriers or challenges related to their ethnicity or background
when it comes to work/employment
%
of young people feel that employers underestimate
their abilities because of
their ethnic background

The survey also stated that “personalised, flexible provision, holistic employment support, and access to learning or paid work experience can all help overcome these challenges.”

Members will be working with Action for Race Equality to change these findings.

This initiative will allow each member to bring unique experiences and passions that strengthen our work and challenge us to think differently. The initiative is a powerful example of what happens when young people are given the space to lead.

Ellisha Coates
ARE Programme Director

Explore more

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

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