Kianu and Aaliyah Glasgow are Co-founders of Dipped In Creativity Engagement (D.I.C.E), an organisation that works with young people facing intersectional barriers and from under-resourced backgrounds, to help them access opportunities to improve their futures and their communities. Here they tell us about their organisation, in celebration of International Women’s Day 2024.

What do you do?
We are the co-founders of Dipped In Creativity Engagement CIC, a youth engagement service that works primarily with 16-30-year-olds in London facing intersectional barriers and other obstacles. We specialise in mentoring, career pathways support and access to creative opportunities. We empower individuals to enhance mental well-being and foster supportive community connections.

Why do you do it?
We started D.I.C.E when we were 21 years old with an aim of creating a youth engagement service which youth can access freely and receive the support needed to unleash their greatness within. Growing up, we felt we were always given a label, mainly negative labels, and this affected the way we saw and showed up in the world. With the belief that this should never be the case for a young person, or any person, we were inspired to establish D.I.C.E and, five years later, we are committed to working towards our mission to build a youth-led service that ‘empowers young leaders from under-resourced backgrounds to connect, co-produce and create a better community’.

What are the challenges your beneficiaries face, and how does your organisation help users overcome them?
We engage with 16–30 year-olds across London and use creativity as a tool to help those struggling with their mental health and our knowledge of the NEET (not in education, employment or training) sector to get individuals back into education or employment. We foster connections so we can rally around each other and embrace each other’s struggles and successes.

Do you have an inspirational story/moment about your work that you would like to share? Or any top tips for other young people and young leaders?
Our biggest piece of advice to other young leaders who would like to make a difference is to try lots of different things to identify your passions…and then just do it! If you don’t know where to start, reach out to a youth or community focused service who can help you to find the best ways to start your journey to make a difference. The one thing we would have told our younger self is to trust and believe in yourself as much others do trust and believe in you!

What does International Womens Day mean to you?
It means taking the time out to acknowledge, celebrate, connect and uplift women across the world. You matter, they matter, WE matter.

What kind of support are you in need of right now and how might volunteering fit into that?
We are looking for support with applying for core funding for our service and developing a clear fundraising strategy with a consultant to raise funds to continue offering our service to 16– 30 year-olds across London. We are looking for additional specialist members for our advisory board, so are welcoming anyone with a passion for supporting and investing in young people to join our team.