1 Identity, adolescence and belonging

Figure 1 Secondary school students navigate identity development and belonging during a crucial time of adolescence.

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A diverse group of five teenagers sitting on blue concrete steps in what appears to be a school or institutional building. The students, who appear to be of different ethnic backgrounds, are positioned casually around old computer monitors, suggesting a blend of past and present educational technology. The setting has an urban, somewhat industrial feel with brick walls visible in the background.

Figure 1 Secondary school students navigate identity development and belonging during a crucial time of adolescence.

Adolescence is often described as a time of self-discovery. Teenagers are figuring out who they are, who they want to be, and where they belong. For young people from racial minoritised backgrounds, this journey can involve challenging questions about safety, visibility and how they are represented. They are learning to navigate how their racial identity is seen and treated both at school and in wider society.

Secondary schools can be incredibly diverse spaces, but they can also be places where race plays a big role in how young people are treated. Some schools may appear diverse on the surface but still operate in ways that favour one group over others.

Research shows that Black and Brown children are often seen differently from their white peers. Studies have found that they are more likely to be viewed as older than they are, more aggressive, and less innocent (Epstein et al., 2017). This happens even when the children are the same age and behaving in exactly the same way.

This unfair treatment called adultification means that young people from racially minoritised backgrounds may face:

• harsher punishments for the same behaviour
• higher expectations to act ‘mature’
• less understanding when they make mistakes
• being seen as threatening when they’re just being teenagers.

Now consider a young person you know.

• Think about a young person from an ethnic minority background that you’ve worked with or care for.
• How might they be navigating their teenage years while also dealing with other people’s assumptions about what their race ‘means’?
• What extra challenges might they face that you didn’t experience?