Welcome to YOUbuntu CIC
Hi, I'm Helena
I’m the founder of YOUbuntu CIC and an Anti-Racism & Racial Literacy Specialist, with over 20 years’ experience in education, workplaces and communities.
My lived experiences as a mixed-race woman inspired me to create YOUbuntu. I bring personal insight and professional experience to every session.
Since founding YOUbuntu in 2023, I’ve created safe, welcoming spaces for thousands of students, educators and professionals to explore race, identity and belonging—building confidence to ask questions, challenge racism and learn together.
Who We Are
YOUbuntu is inspired by the South African philosophy of Ubuntu: “I am because we are.”
We believe understanding each other’s stories strengthens us all. Through shared experiences, history and culture, we make conversations about race and inclusion approachable and meaningful—helping people connect with empathy and build more inclusive schools, workplaces and communities.
How We Help
We offer interactive workshops, staff training, assemblies, keynote talks and facilitated discussions for schools, colleges, universities, workplaces and community organisations across the UK.
Combining lived experience, history and practical activities, our sessions help young people explore identity and respect, give staff confidence to respond to racism, and support organisations to build more inclusive cultures.
School Programmes
Age-appropriate workshops, assemblies, six-week programmes and staff training to explore identity, diversity and belonging—helping every young person feel represented.
Workplace Training
Practical training to help teams recognise bias, build cultural awareness and approach conversations about race with confidence and respect.
Brave Conversation Spaces
Welcoming, facilitated discussions where people can ask questions, share experiences and explore different perspectives without fear of judgement.
Bespoke & Consultancy
Every programme can be tailored to your audience and objectives, whether that's a single event, a specific challenge or a long-term inclusion strategy.
See Our Testimonials
The way that Helena conducted the sessions in terms of sharing their experiences, really opened up the conversation for them, so they (students) feel more confident in themselves to have those potentially awkward conversations. Helena just sitting down and explaining things to them in a really friendly, approachable way was really beneficial for them.
Miss Kitley
Pastoral Support, Year 8, Upper Shirley High School
The children were really enthusiastic. They had time to reflect and enjoyed writing all of their notes to put on those lovely posters. They all came back really excited about what they'd learnt and they were talking about and excited for the next week.
Lucy Bullingham
Year 5 Teacher and Reading Lead, Bevois Town Primary School
Definitely, unanimously, the children really enjoyed the workshops. I think the interactive bubbly nature of the workshops really engaged the children. They all came away having enjoyed it and wanting to take part in future workshops, which was a real positive.
Dan Steele
Asst. Head Teacher, Bevois Town School
We wanted something powerful and meaningful for our students to really hit home about anti-racism. Somebody recommended Helena, and she certainly didn't disappoint. We were very grateful to her for coming in and -my goodness- didn't she have impact! She engaged with every year group from 7- 10, was very impactful and got the message across. I've been really impressed and hopefully we'll get Helena back very soon.
Louise Clifton
Head of Languages & Respect Programme, The Gregg School
"I learnt that very small acts of racism can have a very BIG impact on people"
Pupil
Milton Abbey School
Helena is a highly motivated, energetic and authentic person. Her dedication to improving community relations and welfare is self-evident. Black History Month South values Helena's input and her spoken word performance was one of the highlights of our Gala Evening at MAST Mayflower Studios. Highly recommend, A***!
Lou Taylor
Founder, Black History Month South
Helena was a fabulously engaging presenter. The content was thought provoking and genuinely applicable to me as an educator.
For a serious topic, the session was delivered with lashings of humour without ever losing sight of the importance at it's core - exactly how we ourselves can explore issues of discrimination with our own students.
John Graham
Head of Media, The Petersfield School
“You are amazing, seriously, being a Mum of 3x mixed race children, i nodded to everything you said. I actually feel really emotional that you have acknowledged feelings, Thank you.”
Nicola Ajanaku
Teaching Assistant, The Petersfield School
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Projects & Work
News & Blog
Can You Be Black and English? The Census Question That Belongs in Every Classroom
If you complete the census in England and want to describe your ethnicity as English, there is currently only one box for you: White English. Black, Asian, mixed and other respondents can describe themselves as British, for example 'Asian or Asian British', but there is no option to call themselves
When Football Stops for Racism: Why Player Safety Comes First
When Millwall's match against Swansea was halted for seven minutes this week after alleged racist chanting aimed at Korean midfielder Eom Ji-sung, the referee followed established protocols. The game stopped, officials consulted, and play eventually resumed. But Millwall manager Alex Neil's response
Young Archivists Preserve Windrush Stories in Hackney's Groundbreaking Project
In Hackney library, teenagers sit with Caribbean elders over curry goat and rice, but they're not just sharing a meal. They're making history. The Stories of Windrush project represents something remarkable: one of the UK's first archives where young people collect first-hand accounts from Windrush
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