Ethnic Minorities & Youth Support Team Wales (EYST) was set up in 2005 by a group of ethnic minority young people in Swansea. It aimed to fill a gap in provision for young BME people aged 11-25 by providing a targeted, culturally sensitive and holistic support service to meet their needs.
Since then, EYST has expanded its mission and vision to also meet the needs of BME young people, families and individuals including refugees and asylum-seekers living in Wales. It does this through the provision of a wide range of services including education, employment, health, family support and community safety. We also aim to challenge and counter negative stereotypes about ethnic diversity and to increase awareness and understanding about the diverse communities who live in Wales, improving community cohesion.
Thanks to funding from a range of funders, EYST now employs a team of 35 staff, based across Wales in Swansea, Cardiff, Newport and Wrexham. We also have an active and growing volunteer team of over 100 volunteers.
EYST is award-winning and recent National awards include the top prize of ‘Most Admired Organisation’ in the WCVA (Wales Council for Voluntary Action) Third Sector Awards Cymru in 2015, ‘Best Third Sector Employer’ in Chwarae Teg’s (a Gender Equality Organisation) Womenspire Awards in 2016. We also achieved the prestigious Investors in Volunteers Award in 2015, and CWVYS’ (Council of Wales Voluntary Youth Services) Quality Mark for Workforce Development.
EYST provides training & consultancy to a wide range of organisations and also provides training services for individuals and young people. EYST is a registered Charity No. 1152486 and a Company Limited by Guarantee Reg. No. 6709767.
One to one or group based work with young people to challenge racist and far right extremist views and ideology through education
Support for BME young people aged 11 to 25 and their families
Led by our project worker Paul Thomas, this programme is geared towards young people aged 10-18 in a wide variety of fun and participative activities.
Currently, our Swansea-based drop-ins are back open:
Wednesdays 3-6pm...
Drop-in Advice and Support to Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Swansea (Due to the pandemic, our Sanctuary hub is currently not open to the public however you can still book an appointment with us as below).
Lines open betwe...
Training Courses and Awareness Sessions for Professionals and Young People on topics including: Racism, Islamophobia, Diversity, Refugee ' Asylum, Forced Marriage, Challenging Extremism, etc.
Volunteering Opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, etc.
The helpline is for anyone over the age of 18 living in Wales, particularly if you identify as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic, or if you would like to speak to someone in a language other than English or Welsh.
We are ope...
Race Alliance Wales (RAW) is an initiative which aims to act as a collaborative and self-directed platform for individuals and organisations interested in achieving race equality in Wales. Through collaborative work, we seek...
Our placement programme offering paid work experience to young people aged 18-24 NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training), often hosted by other organisations allowing young people to gain important skills going into e...
Supporting young people aged 11-25 with one to one tuition.
Increasing BME participation in sport to promote positive well-being. The Swansea-based programme is led by our project worker Basit.
Providing additional support services to families and young people aged 0-25. Support includes welfare benefits, education, housing, employment and food parcels just to name a few.
This project is kindly funded by the Wels...
