I am thrilled to be a part of the Race Equality Foundation and excited to contribute to the Foundation’s mission of promoting racial equality and social justice. I firmly believe that every British resident, regardless of religion, socioeconomic background, race, nationality, sexuality, disability, or gender, should have equal access to safe, efficient and effective public services.
I have over fifteen years of marketing and project management experience in America, Europe, and the UK, and have co-created highly successful marketing events and campaigns, working with multiple stakeholders, global agencies, and brands.
However, after raising a young family, I decided to pursue a career change and recently graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Criminology and Youth Studies, further fueling my passion for social justice and racial equality. I believe that using social research for evidence-based best practice is the key to acknowledging and resolving racial inequalities in health, the criminal justice system, social care, housing, education, and beyond. For my dissertation research project, I focused on the topic of safety school officers and their impact on young people, particularly those from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities. Witnessing police activity in my community, and as a youth worker in Hackney, my curiosity was ignited about the potential criminalisation of young people in schools, especially those from minority ethnic backgrounds.
I recently completed work on developing a business case for an Anti-Racism Practice Learning Hub for London healthcare professionals for the Greater London Authority. The aim of the hub is to help health and care workers be actively anti-racist in the support they provide, creating a space for organisations to learn, share good practices, and access resources to develop an anti-racist approach in their practice and improve health outcomes. I will continue to support the Race Equality Foundation’s research work, while working as Programme Officer (Stronger Relationships) for our Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities Programme.
My role as Programme Officer is to develop our Stronger Relationships training programme. We have been able to evolve this programme with funding from Challenge Fund 2. This is enabling us to extend our high-quality support to more Black, Asian, and minority ethnic parents and carers. Our goal is to help parents effectively manage parental conflict and reduce stress within their families, and will build upon the knowledge gained from the successful Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities Programme. We plan to work with co-parents in various situations. This includes couples who live and parent together, parents who don’t live together, and extended family members who play a significant role in raising children. We offer online learning, facilitated group sessions, and in-person programmes to support these individuals.
Being part of Challenge Fund 2 allows us to collaborate with expert community organisations and co-produce innovative workshops that assist co-parents living in separate households. The aim is to help them develop workable parenting plans without involving the courts. We will also highlight the importance of evaluation and learning, by gathering evidence on the most effective strategies for reducing parental conflict among Black, Asian, and minority ethnic families. Find out more here or email: antoinette@racefound.org.uk
