Why Black girls and Black women?
In this month’s blog, we explore more about why The Catalyst model is designed to focus specifically on the experiences of Black women and Black girls. I know I can be a confident Black girl in the future. It all starts now.’ – Catalyst Mentee, Cohort 2021-22 These are the words of a mentee who will be starting our programme in September, and we think she perfectly encapsulates what we want to achieve. The Catalyst Collective matches Black women with Black girls for meaningful mentoring relationships. But, we are often asked, why does our programme focus specifically on Black women and girls? A lack of emphasis on the specific needs of young Black women often leads to grouping students together in a way that masks significant differences in key outcomes. We know that young Black people as a whole experience some disparities compared to young people from other ethnic groups. For example, Black students have the highest university non-completion rates, and are the least likely to be awarded a 1st class or 2:1 degree classification. Whether our mentees want to go to university, do an apprenticeship or take another path, our programme strives to support their attainment in secondary school and beyond. Mentoring encourages the girls to have high aspirations, and helps them to achieve their goals, step by step. Even within the demographic of young Black people, Black girls have a considerably different lived experience to Black boys. For example, despite the fact that Black girls are more likely to progress to higher education than Black boys, Black women are half as likely as Black men to become professors. In educational and professional spaces, Black women are frequently underrepresented. Therefore, there is a significant lack of positive Black female representation in the lives of most Black female school students. In our pilot cohort, 100% of mentees said that it was important to them to have a mentor that they could identify with, and 100% said they were unlikely, or very unlikely to have had a mentor this year without being offered one through The Catalyst Collective. We recognise the specific experiences of Black women, often facing the ‘double disadvantage’ of racism and sexism. Yet, our mentees are aspirational, with many striving to enter fields where few Black women have gone before. The impact of our mentees having role models that they can identify with is immeasurable. One of our upcoming mentees believes she would really benefit from having a mentor to remind her ‘that being a Black woman going into a male-dominated field isn’t impossible.’ This is why we deliver a powerful and tailored intervention to young Black women through our mentoring programme.
My Catalyst Summer
With summer now a distant memory, our first ever Summer Programme Intern, Amara Agwo reflects back on her 6 weeks interning with the Catalyst. Faced with a long summer in the run up to my first year at university, I decided to do something a little different with my time. Through my connection to Eastside Young Leaders’ Academy, The Catalyst’s first partner school, I heard about the programme and wanted to get involved. So, in July, I began my internship. As someone who wants to work in the charity sector in the future, I have found interning with The Catalyst Collective to be a really helpful experience. Right from the start, I felt that my role was valued and meaningful, as I was able to discuss with Chloe what my expectations were and what I hoped to achieve. For example, I mentioned that I enjoy writing, and that I would like to practice these skills in a more professional context. I have now had many opportunities to write articles for this blog that you are reading! I have really enjoyed all the tasks I’ve been working on, as well as the flexibility of my remote internship. There has certainly been no lack of things to do, from helping to match the 2021/22 mentoring cohort, to developing the mentoring resource pack and session plans. The highlight of my internship was definitely the end of year celebration, which I also helped to organise. I found it very moving to hear from the mentors and mentees how the programme had impacted them. It was a chance for me to see the real people behind everything I’d been doing on a screen, and it made me realise the true impact the Catalyst is having. The next exciting step for me is heading to University College London to study European, Social and Political Studies. It will enable me to learn from lots of subject areas that I love, and it will hopefully equip me to make a difference. This has always been my goal, and it is why I feel proud to have been a part of The Catalyst Collective this summer. Although I’m still figuring it out, I know my internship has set a foundation for what I hope to do in the future. And, as a black girl, I am proud to have helped uplift other black women through this programme. I would definitely recommend interning with The Catalyst if you are in year 13 or a university student. It is a great way to gain work experience and develop knowledge and skills whilst having a real impact. Inspired by Amara? If you’re interested in playing a role in Team Catalyst, please get in touch at thecatalyst.mentoring@gmail.com
What makes the Catalyst a Collective?
This month, we explores further what it mean when we call the Catalyst a Collective. At the Catalyst, we believe our mentors are the foundation of the Collective. Carefully selected from a range of careers, interests and backgrounds, they are all passionate about uplifting the next generation of Black women. On our part, we provide them with as much support as possible through training, and regular check-ins with their mentor coordinator and the wider network. In turn, our mentors go above and beyond to contribute to our growing community. Next year as our programme continues to grow exponentially, we look forward to mentors taking on roles within the Catalyst Collective, supporting us in programme development, communications, event planning and organisational development. We also reach out to members of the wider community to give career talks and further guidance to our mentees. But it’s not just the adults that contribute to the Collective. What we do wouldn’t be possible without our expanding network of inspiring and dedicated mentees. We partner with local schools, recruiting, training and supporting our mentees in small cohorts. This model enabling us to ensure that each girl feels fully equipped to be part of the mentoring programme. We also know it’s always better to do things in community, and so we work to create a culture of wellbeing and mutual encouragement within each cohort. At the Catalyst, each mentee helps enrich the collective for the next generation. In our first year, our mentees have been integral to the development of our programme. From speaking to new partner schools about their experiences, to sharing their feedback with us to shape programme design, we are so grateful to them for being part of our community. Our current mentees will also be taking a lead in future mentee recruitment and training, as well as lending their voices to our Youth Advisory Board when it launches this Autumn. And naturally, we would love for them to come back as mentors in the future! We are truly a Collective, and we cannot exist without the contributions of every member of our community. As the Catalyst Collective grows, we are always eager to hear from you. We hope you’ll consider joining us as we build this community together. Words by Amara Agwo
