Hear Me

Mollie’s story is about the power music has to unite all of us, regardless of our political, social, and religious backgrounds.

Ramis’ story is about mental health – his personal experiences and why he thinks it isn’t talked about in the Asian community enough.

After his Dad died, Ramis struggled to manage his grief and found it difficult to talk about within his Asian community. When it came to expressing the issues he was facing he found there was a stigma about talking about mental health, particularly amongst boys and men that enhanced his anxiety and depression.

Ramis wants to share the story of his continuous mental health journey and challenge traditional views of being a man. In conversation with his cousin and BBC Asian Network broadcaster Mim Shaikh, Ramis highlights how he hopes the Asian community can change the long-standing silence and encourage people to talk about their mental well being more.

As the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic continues we revisit Millie, Haleem, Sophie, Deen and Ollie to reflect on their personal circumstances and how the unprecedented year will uniquely shape the rest of their lives.

For the 12 months, these young people have been recording their lives during a time that will become a defining part of their generation.

Summer’s story is about having a parent in prison.

Summer felt like her life was pretty normal, until one day following a knock on the door by police, her Dad was sent to prison. Having been particularly close to her Dad and no understanding of the criminal justice system except from TV shows she didn’t know what this would now mean for her and her family. Summer had to face not only the huge loss of no longer having her Dad at home but also learn to navigate a system which seemed to be lacking support for young people.

Summer wants to share her story to show the impact the prison service has on the children of prisoners, and she hopes also to help alleviate the stigma attached to her family’s circumstance.

Glory’s story is about seeking asylum in a country she has lived in over half her life.

As an asylum seeker, Glory thought that her life had taken a turn for the better when she and her family arrived in the UK, but over time she felt had to keep a part of her identity hidden for fear of not being able to trust anyone, and potentially being sent back to Nigeria.

Since she was seven Glory has lived her life with no official status and finding herself grappling with the feeling of not only not belonging, but also being stigmatised and perceived as undeserving of living in a safer environment – the country she now calls home. Glory has spent years living with this secret but now she wants to share her story and have more open conversations about the experiences of young people who face immigration.

Bella’s story is about caring for a parent with a mental illness.

Bella’s mum has suffered from mental health issues for most of Bella’s life, and in recent years diagnosed as bipolar - a condition in which the person experiences extreme highs and the lowest of lows.

Bella’s role in her mum’s life has seen her shoulder many responsibilities and become someone whom her mum has really depended on, at times as a matter of life or death, and often leaving Bella wondering if she would ever be able to go to university and start to live her own life.

After making the decision to not only care for her mum but embark on her own life journey, Bella wants to share her experience as a young carer of someone with a mental illness and highlight the lack of support for young people like her and the impact of this.

Trinity’s story is about how a year she thought she had all mapped out and had been preparing for since starting secondary school was dramatically changed by the Coronavirus pandemic, and how she has learned from this experience to tackle challenges ahead.

Trinity was part of ‘Class of 2020’ and along with a few fellow year 11 students started recording with BBC Radio Surrey presenter Lesley McCabe to document their final year of school. It ended up with a finale that no-one anticipated.

After five years of secondary school, five years of sitting at a desk, five years of friendship and smiles and tears – the last five months of Trinity’s school life were taken away. No exams. No school prom, last day shirt-signing or emotional leavers’ assembly. No closure, no goodbye. But, as Trinity has subsequently come to realise, even though we find ourselves in uncertain times, life is inherently unpredictable and plans change and perhaps we can learn from the unprecedented year to walk the path ahead with more perspective and confidence.

This podcast was made in collaboration with BBC Radio Surrey.

Saskia’s story is about sexual harassment, something she has experienced since she was 11 years old.

Sexual harassment is unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature and it can happen to men, women and people of any gender or sexual orientation, and can be carried out by anyone of the same sex, opposite sex or of any gender identity.

As she’s got older, Saskia has come to believes that the root of the problem is because of stereotypical views towards gender and she thinks we need to change the thinking around sexual harassment which has been engrained into society for generations in order to make positive change. Through sharing her experiences and speaking with Maya Tutton, founder of the ‘Our Streets Now’ campaign, Saskia wants to highlight this issue and its impact on people.

As broadcast on BBC Three Counties Radio.

HEAR ME is a BBC Young Reporter podcast, which explores what identity means for young people growing up in the UK today.

Ollie’s story is about being Roma – a culture filled with a rich tradition and strong family values, yet often portrayed in negative ways and have face discrimination and persecution for centuries. Ollie wants to use his voice to challenge these perceptions and help his people have their stories heard.

Ollie was born into two cultures and as he grew closer to the Roma side of the family, he has spent most of his life balancing the pride that comes with being Roma with the fear of how he will be perceived not just by society, but by those closest to him. Confused about his identity, and needing answers to why these misconceptions exist, through conversations with family and friends Ollie aims to amplify his voice so others in his community can feel confident to do the same.

Millie explores her own identity and speaks to Rhys and Fran about their experiences of being disabled young people to mark the 25th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Millie was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic condition which affects her lungs and pancreas. Before the coronavirus pandemic, she had not considered herself to be ‘disabled’ but when the UK went into lockdown she was defined as 'vulnerable' and advised to shield. This experience has led to her understanding that although she may not see herself as disabled, others do.

This episode considers how society views disabled people, and how disabled people view society today.