TWO CULTURES. STILL “UNCULTURED”?

What does it mean to be called “uncultured” when you are growing up between cultures? A major British Future study published this month found that 58% of ethnic-minority respondents aged 18-24 had experienced racial prejudice during the previous year. But judgement does not always come from outside your community. What happens when you are considered “too brown” for one group, but “too white” for your own? Who decides what being cultured means? Is it about language, history and heritage or about how others expect you to behave? In Episode 1 of Our Happy Place, young Londoners explore the labels placed upon their generation and the complicated experience of growing up with more than one cultural identity. They ask whether it is possible to embrace contemporary British life without losing your roots and whether families, schools and communities could do more to help young people feel that they belong. For those of us raising mixed-heritage children, or British-born children whose parents grew up in another country, there is something important here for us to hear and perhaps something for us to learn and unlearn. Marking 21 September, the United Nations International Day of Peace, this conversation reflects the idea at the heart of Our Happy Place: Different. Not Divided. Our Happy Place brought together young people aged 16–18 from different cultures and London boroughs to develop media skills, create their own podcast series and speak for themselves about the issues shaping their lives. Who gets to decide whether someone is “cultured”? Watch the full conversation and tell us in the comments: 1.Have you ever felt caught between two cultures? 2.What can parents, schools and communities do differently? We would especially love to hear from young people and from parents raising children across different cultures. Our Happy Place is a C3 Vision initiative supported by The National Lottery Community Fund. This was a learner-led educational and creative activity. The views expressed belong to the individual participants. Video Available on: https://www.youtube.com/@loveenatandonproductions https://www.youtube.com/@OurHappyPlaceLondon FURTHER CONTEXT British Future, Race and Fairness in Fractious Times: https://www.britishfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Voices-for-Equity-Report.Final_.pdf United Nations International Day of Peace:https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-peace #OurHappyPlace #IsGenZUncultured #GenZ #CulturalIdentity #MixedHeritage#BritishAsian #Belonging #YouthVoices #DifferentNotDivided#InternationalDayOfPeace