This is the report of research that set out to explore black boys and black young men's perceptions of black role models and their messages. It aimed to answer three main questions: does hearing about role models have any impact on black boys and young men?; which qualities and messages most effectively reach and inspire them to raise their aspirations as well as challenge negative stereotypes; are there any unexpected or negative consequences of these messages?.
The project was conducted in late 2008, separately with two age groups: school pupils aged 11-15 and young men aged 16-26. Overall about 1200 people took part. The findings are reported and discussed in relation to the research questions and other key findings are highlighted. The report concludes that role models did have some impact on black boys, that particular types of role models and messages are likely to be more appearing and impressive than others, and that there were some unexpected, potentially negative consequences of hearing about role models.