Students of Colour & Black Leaders
Empowering. Identity.
The Grit Students of Colour & Black Leaders programmes are designed to equip students from racialised groups with the confidence, the sense of belonging to become powerful contributors to university life. We support and challenge students to develop a new sense of agency, empowering their leadership and advocacy skills which, in turn, creates a cohort more willing and able to push for structural change.
Facilitated by trainers with shared lived experiences, they explore notions of community, identity and leadership from the perspective of those from racialised groups.
We have delivered the programme in more than 20 universities, partnered with universities in programmes in schools to raise aspiration and expectation in year 10 students, and with an Office for Students funded project tackling systemic inequality experienced by postgraduate students.
Independent evaluation has found that:
“Grit programmes can have a transformative impact on students… a lasting and profound impact on the academic and personal development of students from racialised groups.”
“It changed my life. I’m in action in a way I wouldn’t have thought possible before. I’ve realised that I matter. That as a Black student, my input, my opinion, my experience counts.
So I’ve got a plan to play an even bigger role in the university.”
Student, Nottingham Trent University
42% more achieve an end-of-year grade of 2.1 than in comparator groups
91% feel more like they belong at university
What is it like in a Black Leaders or Students of Colour workshop?
These films give insights into the impact and experience of our Black Leaders and Students of Colour workshops.
Why do Grit’s Black Leaders’ workshop?
Black Leaders talk about leadership.
Participants describe their experience of the Students of Colour workshop.
Our impact.
Janmatthew, student participant at University of Nottingham
“I talked about how Black spaces are not always the most comfortable for Queer people, and Queer spaces not always comfortable for Black people… and then suddenly there must have been ten or fifteen other LGBT students speaking up too.
Grit created a space for genuinely amazing conversations to happen, important conversations that don’t happen on other courses or events… It’s easy to hold back what I’m really thinking, to code switch to disguise the real me, but in the workshop I could open up and be who I really am.”
Gemma, mature student at University of Greenwich
“There was only one other Black student on the course and I was older than many of other students. I was feeling isolated, alone, and often invisible. Struggling with my studies felt overwhelming and I considered dropping out at the start of my third year.
But then I joined the Grit workshop. There was such a sense of community. I felt embraced by the other participants and staff. I realised I wasn’t alone: there were others facing similar barriers.”