This write-up was drafted by Yasmin Minnis.

Ecosystem Over Organisation

Ecosystems do not appear overnight. They are built by people who understand that community isn’t just a reference; it’s something you design with intention.

Britain is currently facing pressure from a cost-of-living crisis, shrinking public services, and an unstable job market. For many Black Britons, support systems are fragmented, reactive, or arrive too late. It is within this landscape that Anni, founder of the African and Caribbean Youth Organisation (ACYO), is building something deliberately different.

ACYO is a youth-led platform supporting Black young people across Britain. It exists to empower, equip, and connect the next generation through mentorship, education, wellbeing support, and community-driven programmes.

Preventative, Not Reactive

Anni's approach is “rooted in lived experience”. Her journey has shown her both what happens when systems fail to assist early enough and what becomes possible when the right support is available. ACYO is shaped by both of those realities and driven by a commitment to doing things differently. Anni expresses that ACYO “was built to be preventative, not reactive”.

That philosophy runs through the organisation. Rather than stepping in only once challenges escalate, whether that is unemployment, criminalisation or mental health difficulties. ACYO focuses on early intervention, practical education, and long-term impact. It meets young people where they are, while also supporting the families and organisations around them who are often left navigating complex systems alone.

“Becoming a parent is the reason ACYO was formed,” it marked a decisive shift in how Anni thought about leadership and responsibility. The transition reshaped how Anni thinks about legacy and generational change, moving her emphasis from reaction to prevention.

More Than Just A Programme

One of the most persistent misconceptions about ACYO is that it’s a single initiative. In reality, it was intentionally designed as an ecosystem, because no one issue exists in isolation, especially in the current climate. Education gaps intersect with employment barriers. Economic pressure impacts mental wellbeing. Limited access to opportunity increases vulnerability to criminal justice systems. ACYO responds to this interconnected reality by spanning education, employment, mental wellbeing, cultural expression, family support and so on.

It supports young people, parents, and youth organisations alike, strengthening communities through shared access, learning, and collaboration.

Since launching its website in 2023, ACYO has prioritised sustainability and scalability over short-term intervention. Accredited courses, recognised digital badges, practical life education, and pathways into work and enterprise sit within the same platform, offering tangible tools in a labour market where young people are increasingly asked to prove skills they’ve never been given the chance to acquire formally.

Working With And Within Systems

Nowhere is ACYO’s preventative approach more visible than in its work around stop and search, an issue that remains deeply embedded in the Black British experience.

Stop and search is a policing power in the UK that allows officers to stop individuals in public spaces and search them if they have reasonable grounds to suspect involvement in criminal activity. While intended as a crime prevention tool, it has long been criticised for its disproportionate use on Black communities, contributing to mistrust, trauma, and strained relationships between young people and the police.

Through accredited courses developed in collaboration with police forces, ACYO addresses both lived experience and institutional understanding. The Know Your Rights: Stop and Search course, delivered in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service, equips individuals with practical knowledge that can be carried forward professionally and personally.

Alongside this, Stop & Search: The Human Experience is being developed with Hertfordshire Constabulary as ground zero, supporting forces signed up to the Race Action Plan across the UK. The course centres psychology, lived experience, and education, with the aim of building trust.

Culture, Sport And The Whole Person

As ACYO expands, its later phases reflect a broader understanding of what young people need to thrive, especially during a time of social and economic challenges.

Music and the arts sit at the core of how many young people understand themselves and the world around them, shaping identity, expression, and emotional wellbeing long before institutions enter the picture.

Sport plays a similarly powerful role, offering structure, discipline, belonging, and mental resilience. In communities facing rising crime rates and limited youth provision, safe spaces for physical and collective activity are preventative by nature.

Collaboration As A Principle

Collaboration sits at the heart of ACYO’s growth. Partnerships are built on trust, shared ethics, and a genuine commitment to community impact. Grassroots organisations are prioritised, and co-creation is non-negotiable.

Founded in London, ACYO is expanding across London and the UK, bringing together lived experience, professional expertise, and community insight to develop solutions grounded in real-world needs. ACYO also plans to extend this work into Africa and the Caribbean, building cross-diaspora partnerships that share knowledge, strengthen community infrastructure, and support young people on a global scale.

Looking Forward

ACYO is still growing, but its purpose is already clear. This is infrastructure designed for prevention, driven by community, and guided by generational insight. In a Britain where many systems are stretched thin, Anni isn’t waiting for solutions to appear, she’s creating them. ACYO doesn’t just respond to need, it reimagines what support can look like. Creating sustainability rather than just visibility.