Ayathola, Sinokuhle, Keren, Chloe and Exaucee attend Levelling the Playing Field sessions run by Young Minds Together, our local delivery partners in South Yorkshire. For them, it’s much more than a weekly dance class; it’s a sisterhood that helps them overcome many barriers in life.  Young Minds Together use performing arts to empower girls from ethnically diverse but disadvantaged communities in Rotherham. They train hard for regular public performances, which have now re-started since Covid-19 restrictions have eased. "Coming here really helps boost our confidence,” says 15-year-old Keren. “We don’t see Young Minds as a dance team, we see it more as a family. It gives us time to create our own choreography, show it to the rest of the group and to express ourselves in a way we can’t do outside, but express it through dance.”  Ayathola, 13, has ambitions of being an Afro-Caribbean dancer or a professional basketball player. She adds: “I feel like we’re all very close and very comfortable with each other. We can always speak about our feelings with each other without being scared.” Project Leader Sithule Mguni encourages her participants to take leadership roles in school and in their community. They are anti-bullying ambassadors and will support any one of their team-mates who is experiencing problems such as social isolation and discrimination. Engaging in dance performances and being part of a ‘family’ imbues the girls with self-belief to take on other challenges. Variously they also take part in football, netball, rugby and basketball. “That comes from the confidence they grow inside themselves here and from the way they are always encouraging each other,” says Sithule proudly. “The support you have from the Sport 4 Life mentors, that really helped me out. You get some structure to your life and if you have any problems – like you need sport opportunities, qualifications or financial support that will help you in later life  – they are  willing to help you. ”   “Around here, it has become a stereotype that every other black child is expected to end up in the justice system. We are working hard to try and change that narrative and make sure none of our girls ends up with that outcome.”  Like all our delivery partners, Young Minds Together are contributing towards Levelling the Playing Field’s common goals:  Increase the number of ethnically diverse children taking part in sport and physical activity   Prevent and divert ethnically diverse children from being involved with the Criminal Justice System   The recent lockdowns made it especially difficult for all our delivery partners to engage with their participants. The girls at Young Minds Together struggled to varying degrees when classes had to be postponed. Sinokuhle, 11, reflects: “It was hard. We did do online sessions but when we got back here and could see each other in person, it got a lot better. Covid for me was very school-orientated, doing online lessons and it was difficult trying to be active as we weren’t coming here to dance. “Things have improved now. Coming in person is better because you feel like you’re interacting with people and it brings you back into society after the pandemic. If Young Minds stopped again it would be so boring, there would be nothing else to do apart from TV and revising for school. “Sithule is very important to us. She is behind everything, getting us here, the performances, the preparation and all the support she gives us. Without her we wouldn’t be the people that we are.” Read more about Young Minds Together here.