22 July 2025
‘Celebrate You’, involved young men who had been part of different initiatives by GIPSIL , our partner charity and participants from research by the INSiGHTS teams. The initiatives included Black Boy Joy and Speak up boys, building on the work of the Black Lives Matter, Leeds.
Boys from schools and colleges in Leeds have been provided a platform for discussing racial identity and its inter-connected relationship with mental health.
INSiGHTS worked alongside young people like Omar, a refugee, living in assisted housing overseen by our partners
The workshops with young men unearthed them as experiencing loneliness and extreme social isolation.
These experiences were compounded by language barriers, a lack of ethnic and kin networks, ongoing trauma from having to seek refuge, and also from lost relationships.
This became an issue for the charity as it illustrated the need for joined-up thinking and service provision.
Arriving at Herd Farm for the very first time the boys marvelled at the artificial lake and the expanse of green. They were kitted out with straps and helmets ready for the descent and obstacle course.
The obstacle course looked daunting for some whilst others relished the challenge.
Buckling sequences for different parts of the obstacle course were soon mastered. The young men were keen and ready to start, climbing the poles in pairs, while the others noted their progress and discussed strategies with each other.
Being at Herd Farm was an opportunity for young men born in different parts of the world to engage with one another. For many of the British-born young people this was the first encounter with peers who are asylum seekers or refugees.
Shouts of support for negotiating the obstacles were made to those struggling, and in one case being rescued and returned to the ground. The setting made for a supportive encounter and demonstrated camaraderie amongst the boys.
Returning from Herd Farm the café at GIPSIl was decorated for a celebration and the smell of food wafted through the air and brief speeches were made. Young men were given certificates and trophies to acknowledge their participation across different initiatives.
Following a Caribbean lunch, young people although initially hesitant, and other guests made up of service providers, friends, staff from the charity and council members danced to the live steel drum band.
‘Celebrate You’ was an important occasion for young people to meet each other and form bonds overcoming language barriers.
