Many children and young people encounter racist and discriminatory content when they are active online – in comment sections, through influencers, and via coded language on the internet. But who talks to young people about what they experience? Many adults find it difficult to talk about discrimination and racism on young people’s terms – especially when it takes place digitally, where adults may feel less confident and less familiar than the young people.

"Can we talk about racism?" is an initiative that helps you understand what racism is, how to talk about it, and how it can manifest itself in children’s and young people’s digital lives.

The initiative consists of a podcast series and a range of materials designed to help staff in after-school and youth clubs establish shared frameworks for dealing with racism.

In the three episodes of the podcast series, host invites two experts to discuss racism and children’s and young people’s digital lives. The aim is to help listeners better understand questions such as:

• What is racism, really?
• How does racism differ from other forms of digital harassment and discrimination?
• How do you talk to young people about racism when it happens online – and perhaps outside your field of vision?

The podcast series is aimed at professionals working in after-school and youth clubs, but it can be listened to by anyone who works with young people or who wants to learn more about racism and how it manifests itself on social media and in gaming environments.