2020 was a monumental year, if a global pandemic wasn't enough we saw a number of protests come to the forefront of mainstream media. Many were confronted with the uncomfortable truths of the lived realities that many people face from, Nigeria, to the USA to India. This conversation includes four Black women who reflect on the protests that occurred over the past year. Also, they discuss the role the media has to play in bringing awareness to global topics. The episode rounds off with tips and insights into who each person remains informed about Global affairs. Listen to this episode to hear more about the protests that occurred across the world.

What does it mean to be a young Black woman in the 21st Century?

As we celebrate International Women’s Day we wanted to shine a light and reflect on Black womanhood. Four voices take us through their perspectives of womanhood, including sisterhood, community and finding their tribe. Though they share the same race, their upbringings and cultures make for a diverse and interesting conversation, with a lot more left unsaid than said.

The discussion also explores a more critical perspective of the ways in which Black women can sometimes harm each other.

A sisterly and thoughtful conversation about the highs and lows of Black womanhood between Gen Z and Millennials 

“Self-love says I love you and self-care says prove it”

Since it is February and the month of love, four of the young leaders discuss what it means to love themselves. They talk about what does self-love mean and how they practise it. With the backdrop of the pandemic, they found new and innovative ways to show up for themselves. Additionally, how has COVID impacted their relationships with friends and families? There are a variety of tips and insights into practical ways to incorporate authentic self-love practises into your life. From journaling to meditation to exploring spirituality, this episode shows a slightly vulnerable side to the lives of our leaders.

2020 was unexpected but with the knowledge learnt from last year how are young people approaching 2021?

In this episode, four of our young leaders reflect back on 2020 with life under lockdown. From completing university to moving work online, each person brings a unique perspective about how they managed during the pandemic.

They discuss the pressures of being predictive, surviving burn out and adjusting to virtual life. Also sharing tips they picked up on how to thrive despite lockdown. It is an episode of reflections, lessons and wisdom and the episode rounds off with their goals and hopes for 2021.

This episode features three of young leaders, Barbara, Katie and Leonie discussing the usage of the term ‘BAME’ (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic). In recent years the term BAME has come under greater scrutiny as campaigners and citizens have expressed their discomfort with the idea of lumping diverse groups together under one terminology. There have been critics who say that is usually is used to cover up the statistical failings of one group and another may be overrepresented. Furthermore that it is not effective in tackling inequality or underrepresentation as different groups require different approaches. In this episode, we discuss how we personally feel about the term, some recent examples of how it translates into other contexts and also the alternatives to BAME. Hosted by Baraba, we hope to bring some nuance about the practicalities and realities of referring to diverse groups. 

In our pilot episode, we introduce the current members of the Young Emerging Leaders Collective. These are the vices that you will hear across the podcast. Coming from a diverse background the following episodes will feature individuals who are most passionate or best informed to bring to you interesting and insightful conversations. We hope to give nuanced and thoughtful discussions on issues, challenges and topics that impact our lives as young people from the UK.

Follow along and we hope you learn something new or consider a new angle.