Creating space where Black youth can be seen, heard and championed

Victoria Ugwoeme

My name is Onyinyechi Victoria Ugwoeme. I arrived in Southampton in 2007 as a young mother with a three-month-old daughter and a suitcase full of dreams. Life threw its challenges – hardship disrupted my education and delayed my university ambitions – but it never dimmed my purpose. I’ve since carved out a leadership journey rooted in lived experience, resilience and community action.

With eight GCSEs, a diploma in professional cooking, a certificate in Trade Unions & Politics in a Contemporary Society, a certificate in Principles of Team Leading and a Level 4 qualification as a Children, Young People and Families Practitioner underway, I’ve refused to let barriers define me. I turned every ‘no’ into fuel, building a life around advocacy, culture and empowerment.

Over the past decade, I’ve worked at the heart of Southampton’s African and Caribbean communities as a youth mentor, cultural advocate, project lead and, most recently, Chair of the Southampton Food Partnership. In 2021 I founded Feed The Community CIC, a grassroots initiative tackling food insecurity, skills development and social isolation. 

The next year, I was featured by the BBC for International Women’s Day and described by my community as a ‘superwoman’.

Then came a personal turning point. In the shadow of the pandemic, I experienced a traumatic breakdown. It could have ended my story. Instead, it became the moment I began to ask, ‘Who is Victoria?’ The answer brought a renewed sense of mission and an even louder voice.

In 2023, I made history as Southampton’s first Black African female councillor, breaking an 800-year barrier. In 2024, I was voted one of Southampton’s Community Legends, a recognition I share with every young person who feels unseen in this city.

Now, I direct OmniRise, a new initiative under TUVAA (The United Voice of Africa Association), designed to support under-recognised African and Caribbean youth aged 16–25. OmniRise connects brilliant young minds to mentors, employers and opportunities, so they are not just inspired, but equipped. This is not a project. It’s a promise that no young person will ever be labelled ‘hard to reach’ again.

OmniRise launches on August 18^th with a youth panel spotlighting extraordinary local talent: a Coca-Cola apprentice, a soon-to-be Cambridge student and a young entrepreneur who built an AI business by the age of 19. These aren’t rare outliers – they are proof that brilliance rises when belief and opportunity meet. At our launch event they will share their experience to inspire other young people.

Southampton is a beautifully diverse city, but opportunity still isn’t equal. Many Black and minority youth are growing up unseen in the systems meant to support them. OmniRise exists to help balance that scale.

I created OmniRise because I lived in the gaps I now seek to close. I was once that young girl who dreamed differently and was told I was dreaming wrong. Today, I stand in the gap for others.

While the government expands opportunities like apprenticeships, data still shows that Black youth remains underrepresented, especially in higher-level roles. OmniRise aims to challenge that narrative by providing real tools, real people and real connection.

Southampton is more than home – it’s where my voice was tested and my leadership. It gave me the courage to reimagine myself, and now I’m doing the same for others.

If you’re an educator, employer, creative or mentor ready to help rewrite the future, join us. When we see, hear and champion Black youth, we don’t just change lives – we strengthen and build a better city for all.

OmniRise launches at the Council Chambers, Southampton City Centre, on Monday 18^th August. For more information, visit: unitedafricans.southampton@gmail.com.