Young Changemakers tackling racial inequalities in Black young people’s mental health
Kadra Abdinasir and Nick Treloar
Young Black people in the UK are more likely to struggle with mental health difficulties as a result of racism, discrimination and poverty. In recent years, young Black people’s mental health has faced a succession of harms, from the disproportionate effects of Covid and the cost-of-living crisis, to the murder of George Floyd and the racist and Islamophobic riots across the UK in the summer of 2024. Despite facing disproportionate risks, young Black people face multiple barriers to mental health support, and as adults have far higher rates of being detained using the Mental Health Act and much poorer outcomes from services.
To address these racial inequalities, Centre for Mental Health, The Diana Award and UK Youth created a groundbreaking three-year programme, funded by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery and Comic Relief. The Young Changemakers programme supported young Black people to develop their own social action projects to address the links between racial injustice and poor mental health.
A space to be me draws together the insights we gathered throughout the programme, working arm-in-arm with Peer Researchers. The findings provide a roadmap for policy makers to create meaningful change in mental health support for young Black people. Alongside the report, we have produced a guide to doing peer research, coproduced with Young Changemakers.
Involving young Black people in the design of mental health services and policies can make support more effective, break down barriers, and reduce mental health stigma. This report calls for a comprehensive cross-government strategy to tackle racism; coproduced solutions to young people’s mental health problems; and more culturally competent support for young Black people.
A space to be me: A reimagining of support for young Black people, by young Black people
By Elloise Rosemond
