Words by Smiley Team
When Roxy Legane started talking to young people of colour in 2018, their discussions gave rise to the seed of an idea for how to support them. This sprouted and grew into Kids of Colour, a Community Interest Company (CIC) based in Greater Manchester that offers a platform for young people of colour to explore race, identity and culture as well as challenging institutional racism.
This month the initiative grew once again, with the launch of their new Youth Space, offering young people of colour a safe space to share feelings and experiences that matter to them. It’s a chance for them to confront institutional racism but also an opportunity to spread joy.
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“As people of colour, and especially for young people, our identities aren't just linked with sadness,” says project officer Fowsia Cansuur Cali. “Besides the challenges, there's a lot of happiness to share.”
Their upcoming workshops will revolve around this theme, offering young people some respite after the difficulties they faced during the lockdown. “We really look forward to exploring joy more, hearing them share what makes them happy, and bringing this to the fore.”
The new focus builds on their work to reassure young people of colour that their feelings about their experiences of racism are valid and important. While school and other predominantly white spaces might not offer them the same understanding, Kids of Colour recognises their feelings and helps them to process these.
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“We’re really trying to validate the young people’s experiences, they have the right to express their emotions, especially because often their voices are silenced,” explains project officer Mea Aitken.
Getting together in one room also helps build peer support networks. “Often they're coming to Kids of Colour with shared experiences of racism in school. By talking together, they help validate each other's experiences, listening, reassuring and comforting each other,” Mea adds.
This space was inspired from the interaction and engagements that occurred at the Kids of Colour Summer School in August. The Summer School showed the need for young people of colour to have a space to freely express themselves in a supportive environment, whilst also being around peers with similar experiences. It also became a place where young people of colour could express their curiosities in a safe space. From there the new consistent Youth space was created.
If you want to learn more about the No police in schools campaign based in Greater Manchester check out the report ‘Decriminalise the Classroom’ by Kids of Colour and The Northern Police Monitoring Project.
If you would like to support Kids of Colour you can donate here.
