Meet the young people breaking down barriers in Scotland

is a grassroots nonprofit, led by young black people and people of colour (BPoC.)  The charity provides a culturally appropriate youth service, with an emphasis on fairness in employment, positive destinations and performing arts, all of which has a positive impact on young people’s mental health.

Through a network of Ambassadors, IYS reaches out to children and young people aged 11 – 18, giving them a voice and offering them a safe space and a place to nurture their talents.  A lot of the work that IYS does is to create pathways into the performing arts, giving young people a way to express themselves.

IYS received a Tiny Changes Covid Relief Fund grant in 2020. At that time, this small charity was under a lot of pressure to suddenly move their services online in lockdown, against a backdrop of funding cuts, surge in the Black Lives Matter movement and lack of culturally appropriate mental health services for BPoC young people in Scotland. This is their story.

D is a nineteen-year old with Nigerian heritage, who immigrated to Scotland with his family:

D found his love for music playing the piano. Since joining IYS, with encouragement and support from IYS friends, staff and volunteers, his confidence and performance ability has grown and he has immersed himself in everything that IYS has to offer.

D’s favourite performance with IYS was an event held at the Pianodrome, held last November when restrictions had been lifted a bit, although they were still respectful of socially distancing guidelines.

‘The whole place was literally made of pianos, from the seats to the stage, everything was a piano or was made of piano parts.  As a pianist, it was a really enjoyable experience performing on a piano, surrounded by pianos.  The drome had vibrant and rich acoustics which made singing in that environment mesmerising.’