Young Changemakers is a collaboration between UK Youth, Centre for Mental Health, and The Diana Award.
Young Changemakers supports young people with Black and Black mixed-race heritage to channel their lived experiences into tackling racial injustices in mental health services in the UK. The project is led by young Co-Producers aged 16 – 25 with a passion for and/or lived experience of mental health issues and racial injustices. It gives young people with Black and Black mixed-race heritage communities an opportunity to reimagine and affect change through the lens of social action.
Young Changemakers identify as Black or Black-mixed race, are aged 16-25 and are based in Leeds, Luton, Birmingham, Manchester or London.The Changemakers are supported by a local youth organisation, who recruit, onboard, and support the young people through their journey. Changemakers are given the opportunity to change mental health support for the better and affect real change. They will get involved with policy influencing, engaging, and upskilling frontline practitioners, changing public attitudes, and peer-to-peer support.
Each changemaker social action project will have the opportunity receive additional, bespoke support from the partnership on the Accelerator Pathway.
Our group of Co-Producers, aged 16-25, with Black and Black mixed-race heritage, have lived experience and/or a passion for supporting mental health. They are involved in the development of training for youth organisations and schools to help further antiracist work and improve health and wellbeing for young people across the nation. They also support design content for various projects and support the new Changemakers in the programme, alongside receiving pastoral care and upskilling opportunities.
