Community Empowerment:

Written By Avila Chidume

Explore stories of community initiatives, grassroots movements in the UK, and organisations that focus on promoting joy, unity, and empowerment.

Highlight the positive impact of community leaders and role models

What does community mean to you? 

Cambridge Dictionary: ‘the people living in one particular area or people who are considered as a unit because of their common interests, social group, or nationality’

For many, communities symbolise unity and empowerment, they are extended chosen families which instil joy and peace in our lives. They create a sense of belonging in environments where historically people may have been excluded.  

Within the UK there are numerous communities working to promote joy, unity and empowerment. These communities can be found in many forms, through neighbourhoods, employment, hobbies, grassroots movements, and social clubs. There is something for everyone who may be seeking their tribe.

Image by <a href=”https://pixabay.com/users/jet3-14608746/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4691992″>jet3</a&gt; from <a href=”https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4691992“>Pixabay</a>

Communities thrive from strong leadership and role models, people who unite and motivate others to achieve their dreams. Leaders tend to be reflective of their communities and as a result empower their members to attain similar standards and work ethics as seeing people who ‘look like you’ can empower and motivate people to aspire to being in similar roles. For many, particularly those from underrepresented groups, role models from similar backgrounds ‘can change the course of [their] life: instilling confidence, inspiring others, and creating space for the underrepresented.’

What does it mean to be Black and British?

Let’s examine some amazing communities and grassroots movements, the work they are doing to improve lives and the amazing leaders they have.

Bristol based charity, Babbasa, is a prominent organisation with a proven track record in empowering youth from underrepresented young people. 

Their three core programs – Support, Challenge, and Placement – offer a range of soft skills training, mentoring opportunities, career-oriented events, and personalised recruitment assistance for young people. By allowing young people to progress at their own pace, these initiatives create a clear pathway for participants to enhance confidence, develop skills, establish connections with employers and mentors, and gain valuable workplace experience. Babbasa’s success is evidenced by numerous awards and a robust network of over 500 organisations spanning various sectors. To date, they have positively impacted over 2,200 young individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, aiding them in achieving their professional goals.[3]

Photo by Monstera Production: https://www.pexels.com/photo/two-people-holding-pride-flag-9588020/ 

UK Black Pride (UKBP) is the world’s largest celebration for LGBTQI+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American and Middle Eastern-descent. 

Co-founded by Lady Phyll (Phyll Opoku-Gyimah) in 2005, it began as a safe space for Black queer women. Today, UK Black Pride’s mission is ‘strength through unity’.[4]

For many in the LGBTQI+ community it offers a space for people to ‘feel seen and validated’ as stated by a member. Oftentimes, Black queer people are expected to ‘compromise’ themselves in order to ‘fit into certain spaces’. UKBP celebrates intersecting identities and has created a safe community for many marginalised groups.[5]

Image by <a href=”https://pixabay.com/users/489327-489327/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=476816″>489327</a&gt; from <a href=”https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=476816″>Pixabay</a&gt;

London based Notting Hill Carnival celebrates the resilience, cultural diversity and the rich history of the Caribbean communities of London. It has its origins in the carnival traditions of the Caribbean and the social and political conditions of the post-1948 migration of peoples from the Caribbean to Britain. Following the arrival of the SS Empire Windrush in 1948, more than 300,000 people from the Caribbean settled in Britain. By the 1950s, Brixton and Notting Hill had the largest population of Caribbean people in Britain.[6] 

Claudia Jones, a Trinidadian human rights activist, is credited with introducing Carnival and creating the space for Caribbean people to celebrate their heritage during times of prevalent racial tension and discrimination.

In 2023, an estimated 1.5 million attended and experienced the sense of global community that Carnival brings. Notting Hill Carnival is still proudly a community-led event, its ever-increasing popularity over the last 5 decades has seen it become the wonderfully diverse and vibrant event it is today. [7]

Image by <a href=”https://pixabay.com/users/pyrosym-5391662/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2337817″>Simeon Peach</a> from <a href=”https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2337817“>Pixabay</a> 

These communities showcase the power of resilience and perseverance in forming and sustaining groups, particularly among marginalised communities. Despite enduring years of oppression, they are now led by influential figures who work tirelessly to challenge societal perceptions and uplift their communities. 

Community Empowerment:

Explore stories of community initiatives, grassroots movements in the UK, and organisations that focus on promoting joy, unity, and empowerment.

Highlight the positive impact of community leaders and role models

What does community mean to you? 

Cambridge Dictionary: ‘the people living in one particular area or people who are considered as a unit because of their common interests, social group, or nationality’

For many, communities symbolise unity and empowerment, they are extended chosen families which instil joy and peace in our lives. They create a sense of belonging in environments where historically people may have been excluded.  

Within the UK there are numerous communities working to promote joy, unity and empowerment. These communities can be found in many forms, through neighbourhoods, employment, hobbies, grassroots movements, and social clubs. There is something for everyone who may be seeking their tribe.

Image by <a href=”https://pixabay.com/users/jet3-14608746/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4691992″>jet3</a&gt; from <a href=”https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4691992“>Pixabay</a>

Communities thrive from strong leadership and role models, people who unite and motivate others to achieve their dreams. Leaders tend to be reflective of their communities and as a result empower their members to attain similar standards and work ethics as seeing people who ‘look like you’ can empower and motivate people to aspire to being in similar roles. For many, particularly those from underrepresented groups, role models from similar backgrounds ‘can change the course of [their] life: instilling confidence, inspiring others, and creating space for the underrepresented.’

What does it mean to be Black and British?

Let’s examine some amazing communities and grassroots movements, the work they are doing to improve lives and the amazing leaders they have.

Bristol based charity, Babbasa, is a prominent organisation with a proven track record in empowering youth from underrepresented young people. 

Their three core programs – Support, Challenge, and Placement – offer a range of soft skills training, mentoring opportunities, career-oriented events, and personalised recruitment assistance for young people. By allowing young people to progress at their own pace, these initiatives create a clear pathway for participants to enhance confidence, develop skills, establish connections with employers and mentors, and gain valuable workplace experience. Babbasa’s success is evidenced by numerous awards and a robust network of over 500 organisations spanning various sectors. To date, they have positively impacted over 2,200 young individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, aiding them in achieving their professional goals.[3]

Photo by Monstera Production: https://www.pexels.com/photo/two-people-holding-pride-flag-9588020/ 

UK Black Pride (UKBP) is the world’s largest celebration for LGBTQI+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American and Middle Eastern-descent. 

Co-founded by Lady Phyll (Phyll Opoku-Gyimah) in 2005, it began as a safe space for Black queer women. Today, UK Black Pride’s mission is ‘strength through unity’.[4]

For many in the LGBTQI+ community it offers a space for people to ‘feel seen and validated’ as stated by a member. Oftentimes, Black queer people are expected to ‘compromise’ themselves in order to ‘fit into certain spaces’. UKBP celebrates intersecting identities and has created a safe community for many marginalised groups.[5]

Image by <a href=”https://pixabay.com/users/489327-489327/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=476816″>489327</a&gt; from <a href=”https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=476816″>Pixabay</a&gt;

London based Notting Hill Carnival celebrates the resilience, cultural diversity and the rich history of the Caribbean communities of London. It has its origins in the carnival traditions of the Caribbean and the social and political conditions of the post-1948 migration of peoples from the Caribbean to Britain. Following the arrival of the SS Empire Windrush in 1948, more than 300,000 people from the Caribbean settled in Britain. By the 1950s, Brixton and Notting Hill had the largest population of Caribbean people in Britain.[6] 

Claudia Jones, a Trinidadian human rights activist, is credited with introducing Carnival and creating the space for Caribbean people to celebrate their heritage during times of prevalent racial tension and discrimination.

In 2023, an estimated 1.5 million attended and experienced the sense of global community that Carnival brings. Notting Hill Carnival is still proudly a community-led event, its ever-increasing popularity over the last 5 decades has seen it become the wonderfully diverse and vibrant event it is today. [7]

Image by <a href=”https://pixabay.com/users/pyrosym-5391662/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2337817″>Simeon Peach</a> from <a href=”https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2337817“>Pixabay</a> 

These communities showcase the power of resilience and perseverance in forming and sustaining groups, particularly among marginalised communities. Despite enduring years of oppression, they are now led by influential figures who work tirelessly to challenge societal perceptions and uplift their communities.