Racism: Young people on being diverse in rural areas of Wales

Funded by Children in Need, external, We Move at SpanArts offers activities ranging from singing to surfing across south west Wales.

At We Move there is Llwy Gariad, a group of diverse young people set up by for consultation for the Welsh government’s anti-racist action plan.

Molara said: “It was clear that there was quite a lot of diverse people living down tracks, living rurally, who struggled with identity.

“So having the funding to bring them together has been amazing because some of them didn’t even realise that the lack of identity is such an issue.”

She criticised “stupid clichés that anti-racism work and diversity and inclusion” had to happen in cities.

“In those areas where young people don’t encounter diversity of food, of cultures like you would in a city [it is as important]. It’s even more important for all of the young people in those areas to be aware and to be respectful,” she said.

She said teenagers have a unique experience already trying to figure themselves out but those who are black and brown also undergo racism and micro-aggression and are sometimes targeted in schools and online.

She added while some young people “didn’t really get it”, she had seen others grow into themselves.

“You can see they are voicing who they want to be, what they want to be and how they want to be defined and how they really don’t want to be defined.

“So they are really standing up to themselves, saying to their families, to education and rural west Wales: hold on we’re here, we have a voice and we are going to speak up for ourselves.”