Finding Our Way Podcast: Inspiring young South Asians with Rehna Yaseen
An outdoor youth and community worker based in Greater Manchester, Rehna discovered a passion for outdoor activities in her teens through the Lindley Educational Trust. She now helps other young people find their own passion for the ‘great outdoors’ as the leader of the Ashton Youth Club.
What was your first experience of the hills?
Growing up, our version of the outdoors was just playing out till the streetlights came on. Then I knew it was time to come in because it was dinner time and I was going to get in trouble if I didn't get in. And that was it. I didn't know that people went hill walking, climbing or canoeing. I didn't know things like crags and climbing walls existed. My first ever hill walk was absolutely shocking! My boots didn't fit, I got blisters, didn't know if I was hot or cold. I just remember sheer frustration, thinking, 'my Pakistani body isn't made to climb hills. That's why I can't see anyone else like me around here! Who else would do this?!'. But after that experience something clicked in my head and my heart.
So how do you get young people interested in these activities?
The wider community is at the heart of what we do at Ashton Youth Club. We don't just work with young people, we work with their families. If I don't know the families, if I don't know parents and siblings, then it won’t work. Parents come to me speaking Urdu saying, 'Rehna, where's my daughter going? I'm nervous, I'm worried.' And I speak back to them in the mother tongue and explain, 'We're going to the Peak District, we're going climbing, she's going to have an amazing time’ and show them pictures. It builds relationships and rapport. It has to come through the community. If you can see people who look like you, from the same background, same socio-economic status, same language, who eat the same food, that role modelling and inspiration is there. Nothing happens overnight. It has taken nearly seven years, working with community members, the local mosque, the police, the local authority. It has taken a lot of work, a lot of partnership. But once it becomes embedded, you're on to a winner. People become leaders within their community.
Why do you hate the term BAME?
The word is helping to address issues and really important conversations that need to be had. So at the moment, I'm gritting my teeth and bearing it. But even within our South Asian community we have our own differences: Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indians…there are so many different people in different groups. So how can you put everyone from different minority groups in one category?! I think it's lazy.
What does walking mean to you?
The world.
📥 DOWNLOAD: EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Finding Our Way is sponsored by Berghaus, and hosted by BMC walking ambassador Mary-Ann Ochota and expedition leader and equity champion Cress Allwood. Our editor is Chris Stone.
Related Content
Hill Walking Articles
In this one we sit down with Steph Wetherell, co-founder of Every Body Outdoors, a group campaigning for better representation, clothing and gear for larger and plus-sized bodies in the UK outdoors. We talk about sizest attitudes, why seeing plus size people represented by brands and media is so important, and how clothes and kit can be more inclusive. And the unexpected joy of finding your ‘tribe’. We also chat with Head of Product at Berghaus.
Hillwalking Destinations
Nature photographer and explorer John Beatty talks about the Carneddau mountains in Snowdonia, and why he goes there in search of connection and space.
Hillwalking Destinations
Come for a hike and an adventure around the Coniston Fells in the Lake District in the company of local guide, Vicki McCreadie. Vicki opens our eyes to the joy and majesty of these hills and takes us on a few of her favourite walks.
Hillwalking Destinations
The Kinder Plateau may sit on the doorstep of Manchester and Sheffield, but step onto it and you can find yourself experiencing a true wilderness in winter, a desert in summer and a soul-lifting day out at any time of the year. Peter Judd takes us there.
Hill Walking Articles
Based in the North York Moors, Rob Mitchell is a mountain leader for Outdoor Lads, a UK-wide community who run a range of sociable outdoor activities for gay, bi and trans guys. In this episode, Rob, a gay man, talks about discrimination linked to homophobia. He also talks about the importance of a supportive community to help individuals deal with stress and life challenges.
Rock Climbing Articles
Glasgow-based photographer and filmmaker Euan Ryan has documented para-climbers on the Eiger, climbing with autism, and the mental healing that climbing can offer. He also suffers from Crohn's disease, a painful and sometimes debilitating inflammatory bowel condition.
Hill Walking Articles
Cherelle is the founder of Steppers UK, a community group based in the Midlands, focused on encouraging more people from under-represented backgrounds into outdoor activities including walking. She says that they’re all about #GoodViewsGoodVibes.
Hill Walking Articles
Stu Skinner is an experienced expedition leader, mental health first aid provider, and the founder of the charity Changing Horizons. He wants us to normalise conversations about mental health, and is passionate about the mental health benefits of outdoor activity.
Hill Walking Articles
In this episode, Mary-Ann Ochota chats to National Geographic explorer Dwayne Fields about giving young people a chance to shine, helping urban communities connect with the outdoors, advice for allies and how to respect the wild.
Mountaineering Articles
Legendary adventure climber Leo Houlding and adaptive adventurer Ed Jackson – both Berghaus ambassadors – are unlikely mountaineering partners. They first met after Ed, a former professional rugby player who broke his neck diving into a swimming pool, said he wanted to climb Mont Blanc. We talk to them both about wild places and wild people, rebuilding your life after spinal cord injury and why new friends and big mountains are a recipe for growth
Rock Climbing Articles
Marie Uri and Yasmin Lazarus are climbers and two of the directors of United We Climb, an organization that champions underrepresented and underserved climbers by creating experiences and events that are accessible and inclusive, as well as working with businesses like climbing walls to help the industry identify and break down barriers and become more welcoming.
Indoor Climbing Articles
International paraclimber Anoushé Husain champions the truth: that everyone should have opportunity to reach their potential, and not be limited by characteristics like their gender, faith, race or disability. No-one should be told what they should – or shouldn’t – do because of other people’s or society’s perceptions.
Rock Climbing Articles
In this episode, Richard Chapman talks about his young son dying from cancer, and the impact of that traumatic experience on his mental health. He also describes how climbing has helped him recover and manage PTSD.