The Care Experienced Young People’s Network (YPN) is a small group of care experienced (CEP) young people, campaigning for improved support for care leavers.
A small team at Renaisi, including a care experienced project lead, have been supporting CEP young people to develop and realise their ideas since March 2020.
The YPN has spent the last few months on three strands of work: a podcast, a research project and #CareConvos. Scroll down to meet the team and find out more about their work so far, and watch this space!
The YPN research team have been investigating what support care experienced young people need after the pandemic - looking at issues around mental health, housing, education and employment. You can read the report by clicking on our research page, here
#CareConvos is a twitter conversation held on the first Monday of every month at 8-9pm. It brings together care experienced people (CEP) of any age, along with professionals who work with CEP or who have an interest in their welfare in open discussion. You can find out more and see recent discussions by clicking on our community page - please join in and drop us a follow @Convos4Care
The podcast started as a way of reflecting on our experiences of Covid-19 and quickly turned into deep discussions about what it means to be care experienced. There are four episodes in our first season and you can find all four of them on our podcast page, here
Meet the team
Hello! I’m Elle and I’m 20 years old. I am excited to be part of the Young People’s Network and
have joined to
make real
change for
care-leavers
everywhere with
my particular
interests being
the importance
of good housing
and education.
My name's is Ashleigh and I am a care leaver. I’m am passionate about sports, animals and exploring arts and creativity. I
love reading and learning about new subjects and topics
of interest. I hope
that we can continue
to change and
develop the care
system to be an
amazing support
network for care
experienced young
people.
My name is Casey Armstrong, I am a 21 year old care leaver studying space engineering. I also work as an advocate for care
experienced people.
After witnessing the
many failings of the
care system, I’m
super passionate
about changing it so
that future
generations never
have to experience
what we did.
Hey, my name is Liam. I am really passionate about learning about the different experiences of care experienced people and how each individual has had a different experience. I think it is these
individual stories that
make our voice so
powerful! i have a
personal interest in
politics and am
intrigued as to how
the care system
affects politics and the
relationship
between the care
system and politics.
I’m Lucy, a 21 year old singer-songwriter and freelance composer from Derbyshire. I feel that my role as an LGBTQ+ artist, a care experienced person, and as a person who lives with mental illness, is to help voice the stories of incredibly resilient people. I hope to encourage care-leavers
and LGBTQ+ people
alike, to know this: you
deserve to feel
represented, you deserve
systemic change, and
most of all belongingness
- and none of this should
ever have to come at
your expense.
Hi, I’m Mary (pseudonym), I am 25 years old, care experienced and live in London. I am really passionate on care leavers issues and I believe by speaking out and sharing my experiences I can help others as well as helping
myself.
I think what I’m
trying to say is best
said in this quote
“But he who dares
not grasp the thorn,
should never crave
the rose”
Anne Brontë.
Hi my names Sam and I am interested in making sure young peoples voices are heard.I want to be able to make the care sector recognise issues that are faced with young people
during their time in the
care sector. I am
interested in
researching and finding
out facts that may
represent peoples
voices.
Hi, I'm Diana, currently at university with the ambition to become a Doctor.
I enjoy playing a few
instruments in my own
time and joined the
network to share
my experiences
alongside other CEP
Hi I’m Susie ‘Nickname Pobby’
I aspire to inspire!
I have a passion for
young voices in the
system to be heard!
How is this work funded?
The Young People’s Network is funded by Esmee Fairbairn – a large independent grant maker that has a specific funding stream for voluntary sector organisations that support young people leaving care.
As part of this funding stream, grantees take part in a Learning Programme to share good practice and challenges from across the sector. Renaisi host the programme.
What is the relationship between the Young People’s Network and the grantees funded by Esmee?
The Young People’s Network sits alongside the Learning Programme as a grant funded project and will play a part in helping to shape collective priorities for change in the care system.
All the young people on the Young People’s Network were recruited from organisations funded by Esmee on the Leaving Care Funding Stream.