Togetherness & Belonging (Do galleries & museums treat black boys differently?)

S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Podcast

The sixth episode of the S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Podcast that explores 1 of the 8 Pillars of Happiness - Togetherness & Belonging, as it pertains to young people, black boys and the society as a whole is here. In this episode, I explore the theme of togetherness & belonging as it pertains to the experiences of racism, unconscious biases faced by black boys, black and minority ethnic people while accessing these spaces.
The host, Kay Rufai ( https://www.instagram.com/universoulartist/ ) explores using his happiness research from the top 5 happiest countries ( You can download the report here; https://mailchi.mp/faddab9bb9a1/pdf-delivery ), how to create a much more diverse and inclusive representation, leading to much more welcoming experiences in these spaces. It details specific negative experiences at the Tate and recommendations for institutions to address the issues.

The episode features audio clips from young boys that participated in the S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys classroom workshops with Kay Rufai exploring their thoughts on their widely negative experiences while visiting the museum.

Read the Guardian opinion piece about Kay Rufai and his work on challenging stereotypes of Black boys in the society (https://www.theguardian.com/global/2020/mar/18/photographs-black-teenage-boys-prejudice-stereotypes )

Check out the Guardian Photo Gallery of the S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Project

( https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2020/mar/18/portraits-black-teenagers-south-london-mental-health )

Checkout the Artist - Kay Rufai's website - www.universoulartist.com

Here's some further research around happiness for your perusal
Referenced research
Happy Danes report - (https://www.happinessresearchinstitute.com/publications)
'Round house - Self Made Sector report ( https://roundhouse-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/File/14972.pdf )
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