The story of London is often told through tales of innovation, wealth, and relentless ambition. Yet, beneath the veneer of progress lies a systemic imbalance—a reality where structural inequalities, particularly those rooted in race and class, actively obstruct potential. It is into this breach that You Make It (YMI) steps forward, not merely as a charity offering aid, but as an award-winning organization dedicated to reparative justice. This is a powerful distinction that defines its entire mission: to actively heal the harm caused by centuries of intersectional oppression, class exclusion, and systemic prejudice.
You Make It is fundamentally committed to empowering young, unemployed, and underemployed Black and Brown women, aged 18 to 30, from working-class backgrounds in inner-city London. For this demographic, the city, ostensibly a place of opportunity, frequently feels inaccessible and hostile. The statistics that underpin YMI’s existence are stark and unforgiving: Black and Brown individuals are reportedly twice as likely to face unemployment compared to their White peers. Furthermore, even when equally qualified, racially minoritized candidates are compelled to send approximately 60% more CVs to secure the same job.
This profound disparity is the "why" of You Make It. The organization is driven by a singular, non-negotiable vision: to ensure that every young woman, regardless of her background, is fully equipped to claim her future and embrace the city as her rightful home. Their mandate is clear and their movement encapsulated by a powerful, tri-part framework: Make It Real, Make It Happen, and Make It Count.
To truly appreciate the transformative nature of You Make It, one must understand its humble, yet fiercely motivated, origins. The organization was born in 2011, conceived at a kitchen table in Bethnal Green, East London, by its Founder and CEO, Asma Shah. The impetus for its creation was deeply personal. Following the tragic passing of her mother, a strong woman who navigated a difficult journey as an immigrant raising four daughters in 1970s England, Asma Shah began a period of intense reflection. She recognized that the barriers she had faced as a woman of colour climbing the professional ladder—particularly in the creative and cultural industries—were not isolated incidents of bad luck, but symptoms of a wider institutional failure.
This moment of clarity fueled an unshakeable resolve. In stark contrast to many traditional non-profits, Shah’s vision was not centered on providing simple charitable handouts; it was about demanding and facilitating reparation. This concept of reparative justice re-frames the issue entirely. It rejects the narrative that these young women are deficient and need fixing; instead, it posits that the system is broken and owes them access and equity. The organization started with a modest £3,000 investment and Shah’s sheer determination, initially enrolling twenty-one women identified through outreach in local job centers. From those grassroots beginnings, YMI has evolved into a nationally recognized, award-winning entity, consistently demonstrating that its relational and holistic approach yields profound, life-altering results. This origin story is vital: it cements the ethos that YMI’s work is a pursuit of justice, ensuring young women who have been marginalized by society can access and genuinely enjoy the social, cultural, and economic life of the city they call home.
In a world saturated with quick-fix training schemes, You Make It deliberately adopts a far more profound and enduring approach—the human-centred empowerment programme. As Asma Shah herself has explained, their programmes work on young women
"from the inside out."
In essence, YMI is not an employability scheme; it is an empowerment organization. This distinction is paramount, as it addresses the root causes of underachievement and marginalization, rather than just the superficial lack of skills.
The typical challenges faced by these young women are not simply gaps in their CVs, but deeply ingrained issues stemming from the pervasive experience of structural prejudice. This includes low self-esteem, a lack of self-worth, an eroded sense of entitlement to success, and often, concomitant challenges with mental health, depression, and social isolation. Consequently, the first order of business is internal transformation. YMI creates a safe, nurturing, and non-judgmental space defined by the concept of sisterhood. This intentional community-building is a cornerstone of the programme, designed to provide a much-needed support network for women who often have tiny circles of friends and contacts in the professional world.
The holistic nature of the programme includes dedicated support that addresses these internal barriers. Participants are provided access to online therapy with accredited therapists and take part in regular wellbeing sessions, which include activities like yoga and run clubs. This focus on mental and physical wellness is critical. It helps participants transition from a mindset of viewing themselves as "a problem or victims who need support," as defined by external systemic failure, to recognizing their inherent value as
"valuable assets of society, ready to size and create opportunities."
Ultimately, this deep internal shift—fostering confidence, self-belief, and a genuine sense of entitlement to professional and personal happiness—is the prerequisite for all subsequent success in the external world. Without this psychological foundation, practical skills alone cannot sustainably overcome the entrenched nature of systemic racism and classism.
The transformation journey at You Make It is meticulously structured around the three pillars of their movement, ensuring a comprehensive path from psychological reclamation to career acceleration.
This initial phase is dedicated to the core principles of reparative justice: acknowledging the harm and actively rebuilding the self-worth that society has diminished. It is here that the holistic empowerment truly takes hold. Workshops in this stage are often centered around self-discovery, identity, financial literacy, and communication. The goal is to provide women with the tools to manage life, understand their unique strengths, and critically, to articulate their experiences and needs without fear or apology.
Furthermore, the environment of sisterhood becomes tangible in this phase. The shared experiences of the cohort—young women from similar backgrounds grappling with similar prejudices—create a powerful, affirming space. In essence, 'Make It Real' is about grounding the young women in an unshakeable sense of self-entitlement, realizing their inherent right to a fulfilling life and successful career in the face of all opposition. It replaces the language of fear and negativity, often imposed by the outside world, with the language of potential and positive action.
Once the inner foundation is strong, the programme transitions to the practical phase of career readiness and network building. 'Make It Happen' is where YMI leverages its extensive network of progressive corporate partners and industry leaders. This phase is characterized by:
Hands-on Industry Workshops: These are not abstract lectures but practical, real-world sessions led by experts from various fields, including creative, technology, finance, and cultural sectors. These workshops equip the women with up-to-date, relevant professional skills necessary for the modern workplace.
Mentorship: A critical component, young women are paired with mentors from industry-leading businesses such as Amazon, Mixcloud, Publicis Sapient, and the Royal Opera House. This mentorship provides vital one-on-one guidance, demystifies the corporate environment, and, crucially, expands the participant's social capital—a resource often inaccessible to those from working-class backgrounds. This deliberate pairing is part of the reparative model, ensuring young women gain access to networks and knowledge previously reserved for those with inherited privilege.
Networking Opportunities: The programme intentionally facilitates high-quality networking events, enabling the cohort to practice their newfound confidence and communication skills in professional settings. Consequently, this phase rapidly builds the women’s self-efficacy and transforms their small, localized circles into a vast, powerful professional and personal network. Data confirms this impact: 98% of participants feel they have a larger network after completing the programme, a testament to the success of this phase.
The final phase solidifies the women’s place in the workforce and their ownership of the city. 'Make It Count' focuses on securing meaningful progression, ensuring the initial boost leads to long-term, sustainable success.
Work Placements: Participants are given short work experience placements with high-profile, anti-racist brands. These placements serve as essential professional entry points, allowing the women to apply their skills, gain recent, high-quality professional experience, and often, convert the placement into a paid position or a foundation for further job searching.
Measurable Impact and Momentum: The success rates speak volumes about the programme's efficacy. Having already transformed the lives of over 600 women, the reported outcomes are consistently exceptional. Beyond the near-universal increase in network size, 100% of participants report feeling more self-confident, and an overwhelming majority of graduates go on to secure paid employment, launch their own start-ups, or pursue formal education. Ultimately, ‘Make It Count’ ensures that the potential unlocked in the first two phases is translated into visible, professional achievement, allowing these resilient young women to truly reclaim the city as their own.
You Make It understands that lasting reparative justice requires a dual approach: empowering the individual while simultaneously challenging and changing the institution. Therefore, a core aspect of their strategy involves partnering with progressive businesses and brands through their sister programme,
"You Change It."
This initiative positions YMI not just as a pipeline for diverse talent, but as a critical voice holding businesses accountable to their stated commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). YMI collaborates with companies in several vital ways:
Talent Access and Work Placements: Businesses host the highly capable YMI graduates for work placements, directly benefiting from access to a highly motivated, skilled, and racially minoritized talent pool.
Sponsorship: Companies invest directly in the empowerment programme, recognizing that funding YMI is an investment in systemic change and social infrastructure.
Anti-Racism and Allyship Training: Perhaps the most impactful B2B service is the provision of the bespoke "You Change It" anti-racism and allyship course for employees and management. This course facilitates anti-racist thinking and practice in the workplace, moving the conversation beyond performative diversity metrics to genuine, top-down cultural transformation. This training is essential for creating inclusive workplaces that are genuinely capable of recruiting, retaining, and progressing racially minoritized talent.
In stark contrast to traditional approaches that place the onus of adaptation solely on the marginalized individual, the 'You Change It' model demands that the workplace, which is often the source of systemic harm, must change. The goal is to strengthen the commitment of partner organizations to diversifying their workforce from the top down, making them active anti-racist allies and ensuring that the success of YMI’s women is matched by a truly welcoming and equitable professional landscape.
You Make It is far more than a non-profit; it is a vital, award-winning movement that uses the concept of reparative justice to dismantle structural oppression one cohort at a time. Through the visionary leadership of Asma Shah, the organization has consistently proven the efficacy of its holistic, human-centred model. By prioritizing the inner life of the young women—focusing on confidence, self-worth, and mental health—before integrating them into professional networks and work placements, YMI creates enduring, life-long change. The success stories of the 600+ women who have walked through its doors serve as powerful, living testimonials to the fact that when systemic barriers are intentionally removed, and when true empowerment is prioritized over simple skills-training, brilliant talent will inevitably thrive.
Moving forward, You Make It continues to expand its influence, pushing progressive employers to adopt anti-racist practices through the 'You Change It' framework, thereby ensuring the city becomes a place of genuine equity. Ultimately, the success of You Make It is a blueprint for a future London—a city where every young Black and Brown woman feels entitled to, and fully embraces, a happy and fulfilling life, not as a recipient of charity, but as a rightful beneficiary of justice. The movement stands as a powerful call to action for the entire community—for businesses to partner, for individuals to support, and for the city to finally live up to its promise of opportunity for all.
