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The people behind REACH
The involvement of the Black community is at the heart of the REACH programme.
The REACH group is made up of around 20 people with direct experience of working with young Black people. They include members of the Black community drawn from the police, local authorities, schools and community groups.
Barriers to success
The group has an understanding of the realities of the lives of Black boys and young Black men and the barriers they face to success. When they reported in August 2007, REACH highlighted the problems Black boys and young Black men in England face:
- compared to their peers, they under-achieve at school
- they are less likely to find a job
- they are much more likely to be involved in the criminal justice system
The group made a number of recommendations to tackle these problems. The government has responded positively, and is committed to taking action on the REACH recommendations, including creating the first national Black male role model programme.
Community involvement
Community involvement is also central to this groundbreaking role model programme:
- the recruitment panel includes four Black adults and four Black Young Advisors
- the national programme is founded on the successful work already being achieved by role model programmes in the Black community
