2023 - Black Families Education Support Group
Black and Minority Ethnic girls and young women face a range of barriers within the education system. They can feel isolated and unsupported, particularly in the context of mainly white school environments across Bath & North East Somerset. As a result, they risk developing issues around emotional well being, confi dence, identity and self esteem.
Black Families Education Support Group aims to promote race equality and cultural diversity in education. Working in partnership with local schools and heritage organisations, they deliver programmes of activities, embarking on projects that, for example, address the issues raised by the young people following their response to the Black Lives Matter movement, or develop a Race Equality Charter to help schools work towards race equality in education. They support Black and Minority Ethnic children, young people and their parents through supplementary schooling, mentoring, advice and advocacy.
ACTION
In 2023, Black Families Education Support Group were awarded the main grant of £15,000 from Bath Women’s Fund that they used to deliver their new ‘Inspire and Aspire Project’. Through the supplementary school, the new initiative brought local Black and Minority Ethnic women, young women and girls together to share lived experiences, particularly around race, racism and identity, along with educational, career and fi nancial knowledge and expertise. The project addressed the lack of ethnic and cultural diversity and representation within the main-stream education system and engaged them through learning and raising their future educational and career aspirations.
Girls and young women were given the opportunity and tools, through activities promoting young leadership and peer mentoring, to become active citizens, participating in and making a positive contribution to their local community, particularly in relation to issues of equality and diversity.
IMPACT
Over 30 Supplementary School sessions were delivered, with monthly sessions aimed at inspiring girls and young women and building their resilience, confi dence and leadership. Activities included:
• Alumni project – highlighting the exceptional achievements of the Supplementary School alumni, honouring their successes so that the current generation of students can draw inspiration from them, shape their own aspirations and go on to realise their own potential.
• Music Project – culminating in a live performance at the Bath Music Festival and has led to partnership funding that supports girls with music lesson scholarships.
• Inspirational Black Women Project – aimed at inspiring and empowering mainstream school students by celebrating previous generations of local women whose stories highlight the struggles and successes of Bath’s Black and Minority Ethnic communities.
• Other examples include sessions that discussed inspirational Black and Minority Ethnic women, and the contribution of Black women to history; sessions to aide developing confi dence around leadership and presentation skills; and a Residential and Cultural trips.
The ‘Inspire and Aspire Project’ project has been a great success reaching over 100 students through both the supplementary school and in mainstream schools. It has had a huge impact on the girls and young woman that participated, improving their social and emotional resilience by helping to develop greater confi dence, improved self esteem and a positive sense of identity through providing increased opportunities to come together in a safe space to learn and support each other, reducing isolation and exclusion.
“We’re a mix raced family living in a predominantly (95%) white city, it’s been invaluable to have a positive cultural support group available for my children, an education that they may not necessarily be getting elsewhere in schools, media and peer groups.
Carol’s parent feels that these school projects and mentoring support have helped her “a great deal in building her self esteem” and has empowered her to “learn to value her self”.
“Initially Emma didn’t want to go, however as time went on she started enjoying Saturday school and it has helped her to become more confi dent and less fearful of others” Emma’s Mother says “Saturday school helped her in understanding cultural diversity at her (mainstream) school and how to deal with it”.
Jessica seems to have grown in confidence during her time at the Supplementary School and has taken on quite large roles during a number of different projects. Jessica’s awareness and aspirations regarding university have also been positively infl uenced by the widening participation programme at the school, both in terms of improving her knowledge of university life and considering it as a future option for herself. Her father reported “As a result from the (university taster) session she has discussed going to university”.
