Young people in foster care, special schools and children's homes come together with others from similar backgrounds to share and learn the skills and confidence necessary to influence positive change for looked-after children. The project enables participants to have more control over their own lives. It also increases understanding of their rights as young people.
The group of 10 12- to 18-year-olds from across the country have come together for three residentials, which mix interactive creative sessions with outdoors activities like zip wire and climbing. Highlights have included campaigning, learning to debate, designing T-shirts and comic strip lessons. All these sessions have been centred around helping them to prepare for speaking at an associate Parliamentary group meeting for looked-after children and care leavers on Creating Positive Images of Looked-After Children in the Media, which will take place at the Houses of Parliament on 21 January 2009.
All those attending have a strong commitment to having young people's voices heard. In addition to skills development for the All-Party Parliamentary Group meeting, participants have been learning how to make their voices heard in other spheres of the public realm, including writing to MPs, creating T-shirt slogans with positive messages, running sessions at schools and writing to the press.
Key workers attend residentials with young people to develop a trusting relationship with them. In addition, workers act as project champions in their own organisations and provide valuable feedback on residentials. A culture of learning and sharing best practice has also developed between workers, both on and outside of residential weekends.
The aim is for the group to become a long-term scheme with new participants each year and the possibility of its "graduates" providing peer leadership to others. In addition, the group's experiences will be documented and shared with other under-supported young people so that they may document and celebrate their achievements and their determination to overcome barriers.
