'I'm called exotic for being black in rural town'

"I moved from London to Wales and was called exotic."

Nyarai, 18, moved to Carmarthenshire erstwhile she was 13 and said she felt "very different" to her classmates successful a prominently white, agrarian area.

She joined Llwy Gariad astatine SpanArts successful Pembrokeshire, which is simply a radical acceptable up to assistance empower young radical to speech astir and explicit their identities.

Project coordinator Molara Anwen called it a "stupid cliché" that anti-racism enactment should beryllium prioritised successful cities, erstwhile often it was agrarian areas successful astir need, portion groups that let young divers radical to link with each different assistance them navigate immoderate racism and micro-aggressions.

The Welsh authorities connected Thursday updated its anti-racist enactment plan, wherever it has expanded connected their study from 2022, outlining however to tackle racism.

But according to the 2021 census, 0.9% of Pembrokeshire residents identified their taste radical wrong the "mixed oregon multiple" category, up from 0.6% successful 2011.

Molara said these predominantly achromatic areas needed the astir enactment to support young people.

In 2021, Nyarai and her household moved from London to Llanelli, and she said was a "daunting experience" leaving a metropolis wherever she identified with a batch of radical to a predominantly achromatic area.

"I would locomotion down the thoroughfare and there's similar 20 of us, but present I locomotion astir and spot hardly anyone [like me]," she said.

She said being called things similar "exotic" successful schoolhouse was caller to her and she had to set to being astir mostly achromatic people.

“Being successful school, it made maine truly like, ‘Whoa’, I truly americium different, but antithetic isn't bad, it's beauteous good," she said.

Nyarai started attending sessions astatine We Move successful Pembrokeshire, a youth-led radical for achromatic children and young people.

“It allows maine to subordinate to different radical that person the aforesaid acquisition arsenic me, particularly successful wherever I americium successful Wales, I don't person a batch of radical successful my community. So going to the assemblage meet-ups allows maine to subordinate and to person idiosyncratic to speech to.”

Funded by Children successful Need, We Move astatine SpanArts offers activities ranging from singing to surfing crossed southbound westbound Wales.

At We Move determination is Llwy Gariad, a radical of divers young radical acceptable up by for consultation for the Welsh government's anti-racist enactment plan.

Molara said: "It was wide that determination was rather a batch of divers radical surviving down tracks, surviving rurally, who struggled with identity.

“So having the backing to bring them unneurotic has been astonishing due to the fact that immoderate of them didn’t adjacent realise that the deficiency of individuality is specified an issue."

She criticised “stupid clichés that anti-racism enactment and diverseness and inclusion" had to hap successful cities.

“In those areas wherever young radical don't brushwood diverseness of food, of cultures similar you would successful a metropolis [it is arsenic important]. It's adjacent much important for each of the young radical successful those areas to beryllium alert and to beryllium respectful," she said.

She said teenagers person a unsocial acquisition already trying to fig themselves retired but those who are achromatic and brownish besides acquisition racism and micro-aggression and are sometimes targeted successful schools and online.

She added portion immoderate young radical "didn't truly get it", she had seen others turn into themselves.

“You tin spot they are voicing who they privation to be, what they privation to beryllium and however they privation to beryllium defined and however they truly don’t privation to beryllium defined.

“So they are truly lasting up to themselves, saying to their families, to acquisition and agrarian westbound Wales: clasp connected we’re here, we person a dependable and we are going to talk up for ourselves."

Indigo Young, 18, from Whitland, who besides attends sessions, said she valued what specified spaces tin connection young people.

She said: "It's important for young radical to beryllium capable to speech with radical that look similar them and person akin experiences.

"I cognize that really a batch of the radical successful our radical person experienced racism, particularly successful a schoolhouse setting, truthful I deliberation it's precise important that they tin speech astir that with us.”

She said she peculiarly enjoyed creating films with the group, which often research contention and identity.

"It was important due to the fact that it was a connection from america young radical to accidental what we truly want," she said.

Indigo and Nyarai some sing with the radical and volition articulation a UK-wide choir for the Children successful Need entreaty nighttime connected Friday, 15 November.

Nyarai said: "I emotion singing wrong a choir, particularly with Molara.

"Her songs are great. So I deliberation having that acquisition again is truly going to assistance maine with my assurance with singing arsenic well."

You tin ticker the choir execute connected the Children successful Need entreaty amusement connected 15 November connected BBC One and connected iPlayer.