What do we mean when we say systems change?
Blog by Ben Haber, Managing Director at Big Change
Blog
How Yeukai is tackling the racialised housing crisis
For Black History Month, Yeukai Taruvinga, founder of Active Horizons and a Leaders for Big Change grant recipient, shares how her lived experience inspires her work tackling the racialised housing crisis and creating safer, more dignified housing pathways for young Black migrants and refugees.
I often say that my work began long before Active Horizons existed. It began the moment I arrived in the UK as a young asylum seeker, carrying both hope and uncertainty.
Navigating systems that were not built for people like me taught me resilience, but it also revealed a truth I could not ignore: too many young people from Black, migrant and refugee backgrounds were being left to survive rather than supported to thrive.
My lived experience became my compass. I knew what it felt like to be unseen, unheard and unsupported, and I also knew the power of community, culture and belonging. I decided that my journey would not end with survival; it would become a platform for change. Active Horizons was born from that decision: a commitment to creating spaces where young people feel safe, valued and able to lead.
Over the past 20 years, there have been milestones that remind me exactly why I do this work. Watching young people who once doubted their voices become advocates and leaders in their various settings. Seeing some schools shift their approach to anti-racism after hearing young people’s lived experiences. And building Safe Grounding, a culturally safe wellbeing model rooted in heritage and emotional dignity. One moment stays with me: a young person once said, “This is the first space where I feel myself.”
What I would tell someone starting their journey is that change-making is not glamorous; it is slow, relational and time-consuming. I would say: start with your truth. Your lived experience is not a barrier; it is actually your blueprint. Build with people, not for them, but with them. Safeguard yourself. Systems change requires patience, courage and community. Most importantly, remember that leadership is not about being the loudest voice; it is about creating space for others to rise.
I knew what it felt like to be unseen, unheard, and unsupported and I also knew the power of community, culture, and belonging. I decided that my journey would not end with survival; it would become a platform for change.
Yeukai
Partnering with Big Change has been a powerful extension of my mission. Their belief in youth-led transformation aligns deeply with our values. I am grateful to be recognised through their Leaders for Big Change programme as one of the leaders creating positive change for young people.
My focus is on creating solutions to address the housing insecurity faced by young people from migrant and refugee communities, particularly young Black migrants and refugees who face a racialised housing crisis. Through Active Horizons, we are working to ensure that young people aged 18–25 in London can access safe, stable and dignified housing without fear or discrimination.
Together with young people, housing professionals and policymakers, we are co-designing safer and more stable housing pathways, centred on young people’s lived experiences, healing and racial justice. This work is about ensuring that young people are part of shaping the solutions to the challenges they face, while working towards long-term, systemic change.
