BY NIKKI ADEBIYI, FOUNDER @ BOUNCE BLACK
As 2024 draws to a close, we at Bounce Black are pausing to reflect on the incredible journey we’ve had this year. It’s been a year of breakthroughs, challenges, and triumphs, all centered around our mission to empower Black students and professionals to thrive in wellbeing and at work. Here’s a look back at some of the highlights that made 2024 unforgettable.
By the Numbers
- Events Hosted: 3 impactful gatherings across London and New York, and one interactive webinar.
- Community Reached: Over 8.5k people engaged through our events, online content and campaigns.
- Helpful Resources: Uploaded topical and tailored resource guides which the vast majority of users find useful, including our guides to Surviving Organised Harassment (80%), Post Graduate Depression (100%), Grief and the Grind (100%), Decolonising Black Beauty (100%), Surviving the Ends (100%), Chronic Illness and Work (100%), Life After Adversity (100%), Finding A Therapist (100%), and the 2024 UK General Election (100%).
- Collaborations: Partnered and worked with the Africa Centre, Black Equity Organisation, Black Blood Matters, Penguin Random House, Google, Cloudflare, Tavern Community Coworking, The Chelsea House NYC, and more to drive meaningful change.
- Funding Secured: Received support from NSUN Synergi Project to expand our initiatives. Stay tuned for our flagship workplace readiness programme for Black students next year!
Milestones and Highlights
1. Laying Future Foundations
This year, we received funding to pilot our Roots: Career Foundations Programme. Through this initiative, we will provide Black students with tools, training, and mentorship to build strong foundations for their careers. Learn more about the programme and how to register your interest here.
2. Groundbreaking Events in London and New York
We kicked off the year with our ‘Unveiling Coded Language’ webinar in collaboration with Cole Khan Solicitors, which equipped professionals in our community to understand their options in the face of discrimination in the workplace.
We didn’t stop there though. We made sure we were outside and visible this year! From our fireside chat about workplace trauma with bestselling author of The Memo and Right Within, Minda Harts, to our star-studded panel at our ‘Community Conversations: For Such A Time As This’ event in celebrating the release of Shani Akilah’s debut short story collection, we stood on business with centering Black voices and Black empowerment this year.
We also held our first stateside event in New York City in the Summer!!! Our ‘Community Conversations: Rooting for Everybody BLK‘ event took place at a Black-owned seafood restaurant in the heart of Manhattan, The Chelsea House. We discussed pan-African unity and collaboration over shrimp and fries, delving into what it means to practically embody the sentiment behind the phrase coined by actress and entrepreneur Issa Rae. Thanks to our collaborators Tavern Community, Corners Community, Kissing Lions PR and Essence of Freedom, the event was a great success! We even made into onto Pulse, a publication by the New York chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. Read it here!
3. Campaigns That Resonated
Research ahead of our Project ZER0 campaign in collaboration with Berlin-based startup VENT has been shedding light on workplace retaliation. The engagement and conversations the announcement of this campaign ignited have been equal parts shocking and inspiring. So far, we have received 20+ in-depth contributions to our research. Add yours here.
Community Voices
Quotes From Our Community:
- “Your voting guide is really informative and accessible. Thanks for putting it together 🙂“
- “Thank you Minda and Nikki for a wonderful and insightful discussion on Black Women in the workplace the challenges, the opportunities and what allies and Black Women can do to change workplaces globally to create more inclusive cultures.“
- “This was such a wonderful convo around neurodivergence in the workplace! It was an honor having Nikki and Maddy did a fantastic job facilitating! I HIGHLY recommend having Nikki in to speak at your organization!”
Spotlight on the Africa Centre: We are grateful to our friends at the Young Africa Centre for their continued commitment to working with us to curate special and impactful events for the betterment of our community. As they have supported our success, we want to support theirs. In the 60th year of The Africa Centre (TAC), and beyond, we’re asking our community to help ensure the longevity of TAC by making a donation.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
No journey is without its hurdles, and 2024 was no exception. Unpredictable changes in the weather and other last minute hiccups on event days did not stop us from making the most of what and who we had. The punches came, but we rolled with them, and came out on top.
The main thing we learned this year is the importance of scaling at a sustainable pace. We want to embody the values we are advocating by looking after ourselves as we go, and not taking on too much at once with a limit on team capacity. Yet with all the exciting plans and projects ahead, we’ll of course be kicking off 2025 with hiring, so that we can keep the impact going. We’re investing in our people, so that we can continue investing in our community.
Looking Ahead to 2025
As we step into 2025, we’re excited to build on the foundation we’ve laid this year. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s to come:
- Launching the Roots: Career Foundations programme
- Expanding our core team, our corporate & community events and our US outreach
- Deepening our commitment to Black mental health and workplace equity through advocacy, collaborations and a switch-up to our strategy
Thank You
None of this would have been possible without our incredible community of supporters, partners, and participants. Whether you attended an event, shared our campaigns, or collaborated with us—thank you for being part of this journey. Your support fuels our work and inspires us to dream bigger.
Here’s to an even more impactful 2025!
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