UK youth charity Impetus is inviting applications to its Leadership Academy, a new programme offering development training to emerging leaders from BAME backgrounds working in the youth sector.
The Impetus Leadership Academy is designed and delivered by people of colour exclusively for ethnic minority talent. The fully-funded 12-month programme consists of masterclasses on leadership topics, one-to-one coaching sessions from Impetus professionals, and personalised mentorship from programme partner Bank of America’s senior staff.
The programme is a much-needed addition to the UK charity sector space, where people in leadership positions from ethnic minority backgrounds account for just 7% of the talent pool.
As well as aiding the development of future leaders, the project aims to elevate the conversation on issues facing young people from ethnic minority backgrounds, who are twice as likely to be unemployed than their white counterparts. The two partner organisations have also “committed to improving representation within their organisations and investing resources to address racial inequality in society more broadly.”
Eleanor Harrison, CEO of Impetus, said: “The Impetus Leadership Academy is part of our commitment to embedding racial diversity in every aspect of our work, and we are excited to set out on this journey with the support of Bank of America. Our programme will offer personalised development training to a cohort of future leaders, supporting a peer network and offering access to extensive networking opportunities through Bank of America and Impetus’ global reach.
“We want to share what we’ve learned about what it takes to build and grow talented leaders and great impact led organisations through this new programme and learn from the experiences and insights of emerging leaders in return. We are excited about the potential to support diverse talent to access more senior leadership roles in the sector. Improved racial diversity in leadership positions will drive better understanding and decision making in the sector.”
Andrea Sullivan, Head of International Environment, Social and Governance at Bank of America, added: “At Bank of America, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our business, which is why we are delighted to partner with Impetus to launch the Leadership Academy. The new initiative promotes diverse talent into senior positions in the UK charity sector, supporting our longstanding commitment to furthering racial equality. We look forward to working together to inspire tomorrow’s leaders.”
Kenny Imafidon, Chair of youth employment charity City Gateway, said: “Impetus has a wealth of experience to offer upcoming leaders, and we have benefitted from this first hand through our partnership. It’s exciting to see them extend their support beyond their existing portfolio of charities so that more people can benefit from their leadership expertise. This is a step in the right direction for the sector. Now we need to see other organisations contributing to solutions through such initiatives.”
Applications for the Impetus Leadership Academy open on July 30th 2021. For more information, click here.
