To celebrate #CareDay we are highlighting the amazing work achieved by the care experienced young people we work with on our three project strands; Project Return, Youth Justice Voices and The Real Toolkit. Watch our latest video to see just what they have managed to do!

Project Return 

The Catalyst's achievements in the past year has been phenomenal and considering it's been really a very, very hard year for everybody and actually what they've managed to achieve and change from their living rooms from their bedrooms has been phenomenal.

Seeds For Change box - 40 kits sent out to kits to care leavers and workers for them to bring nature into their own home and also they've designed a programme with the Scottish Forestry that will allow care experienced young people to be able to enjoy the outdoors and all its nurturing influences.

Rock the Lockdown Choir - They've created a choir and which during lockdown obviously we couldn't run in person but straight away came up with a name and a way to engage people online through a Facebook group and a sing-along version and they also hosted a digital version of the choir which was beautiful and picked the song and really showcased what workers and young people's talents are.

Pet Survey - They created a survey was filled in by 54 people, young people, workers/ family members/ carers, organisations and MSPS that’s allowed us to better understand the dynamics and people’s experiences of having a pet in the care system and social housing. These findings are now being further developed with a view to enabling care experienced young people to look after pets in their own homes. 

Youth Justice Voices 

Highlights of the last year include:

Being consulted by the No Knives Better Lives (NKBL) on their new initiative to create a virtual reality game for secondary school pupils that will educate them and provoke discussion about the dangers and risks of carrying or using knives.

Interviewed the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education, John Swinney MSP, and called for him to consider removing the age cap of 26 years for the Care Experienced Students Bursary – something he announced the following week.

Artivism - following lockdown they successfully launched their Artivism project, showcasing the incredible artworks created with Articulate Cultural Trust and local artist Scott Lang aka SLANG You can read more about this here. 

Youth Justice Voices monthly newsletters written by care and justice experienced young people covering issues such as mental health and Universal Basic Income. You can read the latest edition here

Youth Justice Visionaries were commissioned by the Scottish Government to gather the views of children and young people on the next Youth Justice Vision and Action plan for Scotland.

Shared their views with the Scottish Parliament on the UNCRC which contributed to it currently being in the process of being incorporated into Scottish law.

All of which led to Youth Justice Voices receiving a commendation at the Howard League Community Awards in the Children in Care and Care Leavers Category commendation for all their hard work. You can read more about this here. 

The Real Toolkit
Young people and workers have come together to create the Real Toolkit, an online resource for those who are transitioning out of care and the workforce that supports them. They have been collecting information from across the sector to find out what relationships mean to people and how we can create an environment and a culture in which relationships flourish. The Real Toolkit will give young people information on how to navigate transition out of care and answer questions like what is continuing care? What do you need in a first flat? The Real Toolkit will also be a place for the workforce to learn more about relational practice and be inspired.

Find out more at the Staf Summit on the 17th March!