Brand by Young Scot
We co-created Young Scot’s anti-racist comms principles with young people in Scotland to help the youth platform connect with its audience more equitably.
Summary
Young Scot is Scotland's national youth information charity. Their incredible influence, reaching all young people across Scotland, requires a solid commitment to equity. They'd already begun work on inclusion but needed support embedding anti-racism into their brand and comms. We worked with them – and the young people they serve – to co-create a set of anti-racist comms principles.
Who Led The Project
Collette
Category
Consulting
Training
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Audit
Working on Young Scot's anti-racism strategy was a fresh adventure for Brand by Me. It was our first anti-racist brand project with an organisation based in Scotland. This experience pushed us to explore the unique ways racism affects Scottish communities compared to our experiences in England. We dived deep, auditing Young Scot's approach to equitable branding. Our work included reviewing their communications and hosting listening sessions with young people from the Global Majority living in Scotland. We were keen to understand their experience of racism and their perceptions of the Young Scot brand. These insights exposed both challenges and opportunities in Young Scot's channels and their communication. Our goal? To make sure Young Scot's anti-racism approach truly listens to and centres young people, especially those from Global Majority communities and backgrounds.
Explore
We enthusiastically got stuck into co-creating with Young Scot. Our session tapped into their real-world experiences and perceptions of the Young Scot brand. The vibe? Incredibly positive. Young Scot's eagerness to learn and evolve was evident, turning the spotlight on systemic racism not as a fire to be extinguished quickly but as a step towards real, genuine growth. These sessions sparked a massive shift, proving just how powerful it is to genuinely connect with those your brand wants to include rather than making assumptions. It was a journey through the uncomfortable, a necessary path for true growth. Along the way, it highlighted the importance of shaking up the status quo to create a space that's not just equitable but also ripe for learning.
Embed
We guided Young Scot through a step-by-step process to bring the co-creation session insights into their day-to-day work. The brand's commitment to weaving anti-racism into its fabric was crystal clear. Having an outside eye (that's us!) helping them review where they were starting and plan where they wanted to get to meant they could aim for real progress. This isn't a smash-and-grab; it's a partnership for the long haul. We're there to keep the momentum going, ensuring that anti-racism isn't just a one-off project but a continual journey.
Evaluate
It wasn't just about being seen to do the right thing; Young Scot was all in, making anti-racism a core part of their brand approach. We were super pleased by the progress Young Scot had made relatively quickly. When we reviewed their progress, the team had begun implementing all of our recommendations. This proved their intention wasn't that equity is just a 'nice-to-have'. They were all in, making sure equity and anti-racism were central to their brand positioning. The team at Young Scot recognised that tackling racism and oppression isn't a one-and-done deal – it's a journey that keeps unfolding.
OUR insight
“This project really made it clear that the UK is not a homogeneous environment which means racism and anti-racism show up very differently in context. It was our first time working on anti-racism with a Scottish organisation and learning about the fascinating nuances in experience has informed how we approach our work.”
Collette
“I can't rate Brand by Me highly enough. They made what could have been a very difficult process incredibly easy. I'm not saying it's not hard work, but the process has given us a confidence. We would never say we're an antiracist organisation but we're more confident saying we're on our journey, and we know it's a long-term process.”
Reid Aiton, External Relations Director, Young Scot
Recognising and addressing how your brand upholds systems of oppression helps drive social justice. We can show you how.
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