Empowering Futures
Culturally adaptive and bias-aware mentoring is integral to ensuring that mentors can provide guidance that respects and addresses the participants' specific challenges, fostering a sense of belonging and empowering them to overcome societal barriers.
Led by the University of South Wales alongside Cardiff University and Cardiff and the Vale College, this project established a mentoring and coaching network aimed at empowering minority ethnic women and girls in Wales.
The initiative focused on boosting confidence, fostering relationships with mentors, and providing culturally sensitive career guidance to support professional growth.
Tackling barriers to inclusion
The mentoring initiative emphasised inclusion, aiming to tackle visible and systemic barriers faced by ethnic minority women. Through storytelling, workshops, and career planning, it promoted career progression, employability, and leadership development.
Students with ethnic minority backgrounds from each of the partnering institutions led the project. Their responsibilities included project coordination, content development, and events management. Students helped design culturally sensitive mentoring content, ensuring the programme reflected diverse perspectives.
Workshops delivered to young ethnic minority young women in the region offered career guidance, empowerment activities, and cultural relevance to help participants build confidence and career plans.
With support from the project team, the 12 student mentees trained throughout the project developed platforms to share stories of the project’s journey and impact, helping to inspire others – including working with the Welsh Government to integrate the findings into the Anti-Racist Action Plan, shaping future policies on recruitment, retention, and progression for ethnic minority women in the workforce.
Creating a pipeline of mentors and mentees
Partnerships were formed with several Ethnic Minority organisations including the Ethnic Minority Welsh Women’s Achievement Association (EMWWAA) and Ethnic Youth Support Team (EYST) to create a strong pipeline of mentors and mentees and embed the programme within the local civic mission framework.
A project report was shared with a range of organisations and governmental bodies for wider adoption, promoting inclusion, community cohesion, and active citizenship.
The project was presented at the BSA Annual Conference 2025, to highlight impact on employability and advocating for the broader implementation of intersectional mentoring strategies, ensuring long-lasting positive change.
Contacts
Meena Upadhyaya, Emeritus Professor and founder of EMWWAA.
