The Black Led Forum: An Update

Our vision of Changing Futures in Bristol is that we acknowledge that the system has not been designed to support people facing multiple disadvantage and we are committed to changing that.

Since October 2022 we have met as a group nearly every month and identified the system change needs. What have we learnt you may ask?

• Ethnic minoritized staff who have faced racial abuse need safe spaces to reflect & share their experiences for collective support.

• Grassroot ethnic minoritized organisations need spaces to share expertise & information to empower themselves to influence commissioning.

• Young people need to be educated & empowered when faced with discrimination using social media platforms.

Our goal is that this forum will help us achieve some of our Changing Futures EDI outcomes. We are aware that these are not new issues but are still issues within the system. To influence change, we have recognised there is value in being consistent with these initiatives and ensuring the space is always available and accessible.

There has been strength in people sharing their personal experiences and challenges. Collectively coming together to address the challenges and thinking of innovative ways to tackle these issues has also been important to the growth of this group.

The group is open to people from ethnic minoritized communities and who those represent these communities. Meetings happen once a month, sometimes virtually, sometimes at other organization’s offices.

We intend to open up this space in October 2023. If interested in joining this group, please send an email to info@changingfuturesbristol.co.uk