Spotlight on Yorkshire Asian Young Achievers Awards

There is so much talent and ability in these communities but sadly it hasn’t always had the chance to shine. That’s why in 2020, to mark QED’s 30th anniversary, I wanted to do something to recognise the achievements of young people from the South Asian community who had overcome adversity in one way or another. I felt if we could put a spotlight on these success stories it would inspire others to bigger and better things.

So I came up with the Yorkshire Asian Young Achievers awards, or YAYAs, to celebrate the achievements of young people of South Asian heritage aged between 16 and 30. The original plan was for this to be a one-off event, but even though the inaugural awards in 2020 had to be held online due to Covid, they went down really well so we decided to make this an annual event.

And it’s gone from strength to strength, with around 100 people either having won an award, or been shortlisted for one. I’ve been delighted by just how much talent there is among young people in our communities, and that’s why I believe the YAYAs are so important. They are more than just an awards scheme, they’re a campaign to inspire more young people to be successful.

We know from the countless reports and studies published in recent years that poverty rates in the UK are worst among black and ethnic minority communities - in the case of Pakistanis, the poverty rate is more than double that of white people. We know, too, that young people of South Asian heritage still suffer from prejudice and fewer opportunities.

Mohammed Ali speaking at the awards ceremony (Image: Mohammed Ali)

One of the problems in the past is the lack of role for young Asians when it comes to choosing a career - because you can’t be what you can’t see. In Asian communities, in particular, there is a tendency for parents to encourage their children to study medicine, law and accountancy. These are all fine professions but we need to show younger generations that there are many other brilliant and rewarding careers and areas of life in which they can flourish - from sport and media to education and the arts.

If people see someone from a similar background who lives down the road doing well they’re more likely to think, ‘if they can do it so can I.’ That’s where I think projects like ours can make a difference. We’ve had people from all kinds of backgrounds, including Indian, Afghan, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan, taking part - each with their own story of triumph over adversity. At our annual event a short video of each shortlisted nominee is shown and I’ve seen people in the audience with tears in their eyes listening to some of these stories.

Stories like that of Mohammed Ali Hussain, who won the first Young Achiever of the Year award. He had an incredibly tough childhood which was spent being shunted between care homes and foster placements. Yet despite this, and being bullied at school, he went on to study astrophysics at Hull University and become chair of Bradford Children in Care Council.

Last year’s overall winner was Neil Bharat Patel, a British Indian from Leeds, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. He’s faced all kinds of challenges but it didn’t prevent him from gaining a first class honours degree in Computer Science from the University of Bradford and he now works as a software developer.

Huma Malik is another inspirational figure. During the pandemic Huma dedicated much of her time to a variety of volunteering roles including helping to raise awareness of mental health issues among young people, despite the fact she needed to make regular trips to hospital for blood transfusions.

I am in awe of these young men and women and what they have achieved through hard work and determination, often against all the odds. They deserve our recognition and our thanks.

My hope now is that the young people we are shining a light on will go on to become mentors, either in schools or in their local communities, because they are truly inspirational and we can all, young and old, learn a thing or two from them.

* For more information about the YAYAs visit Yorkshire Asian Young Achiever Awards 2023. The deadline for nominations for this year’s awards is 9am on Monday, June 19, 2023. This year’s event will be held on November 17 at the Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford.