Shoppers invited to 'walk in the shoes' of Plymouth care leavers
A special project is on show at Drake Circus
Plymouth shoppers can gain a unique insight into what life can be like for young care leavers.
Young people supported by Barnardo’s Plymouth Care Journeys are marking Care Leavers’ Week (October 24 to 28) by showcasing their project at Drake Circus Shopping Mall: ‘Walk a Day in Our Shoes: Not One Size Fits All!’.
They have decorated pairs of white training shoes to represent their challenges, achievements and ambitions, as well as the stigma they’ve faced.
Each pair also comes with an audio recording of the young person talking about their life story and how it’s influenced them.
A few weeks ago the same project was taken to Westminster for an event attended by 26 MPs from across the UK who were urged to improve opportunities for care leavers.
Today (Tuesday 25 October) shoppers can listen to the same stories - which can be found on the Plymouth Care Journeys website - and meet some of the Barnardo’s Plymouth Care Journeys team at the shopping centre’s Cornwall Street entrance between 8.30am and 6.30pm. The Mayor of Plymouth is expected to attend.
Carin Laird, Barnardo’s senior project worker, said: "The idea came from the young people themselves. It’s about raising awareness and reducing stigma. They want the community to understand that young people go into care through no fault of their own and have huge hurdles to overcome when they leave care.
"They don’t have a family support network; they are less likely to have educational qualifications and are more likely to suffer with their mental health than their non-care experienced peers. They are trying really hard to make it in the world."
The aim of the project is to help people understand that every young person leaving care is unique.
Carin said: "It shines a light on the individuality of each young person’s journey, their unique experiences and how these have shaped the person they have become."
Many of the stories make for powerful listening, including a young woman who says she had both her little boys removed and put up for adoption because she didn’t have the support she needed at the right time.
"No one offered to help me become the parent they wanted me to be, I was belittled and told as a 22-year-old care leaver that I didn’t know the world. My world had collapsed, it just completely crashed, there are no words to describe how I felt." She now only has letterbox contact twice a year.
Some of the young people have used the opportunity to call for system change, including more resources put into prevention work and greater opportunity for siblings to stay in contact.
Some of the stories have positive outcomes, such as one young man who said: "My shoes represent my past and my present. The anger and resentment I felt at the world for being cruel and unfair just ate me up and took me to places I shouldn’t have been – but I am so glad now that I have experienced that because it has made me who I am today.
"If I hadn’t of had those experiences, I wouldn’t have had the determination and drive to reach my positive destination." He now has a partner, children and his dream job.
Barnardo’s runs Plymouth Care Journeys, in partnership with Plymouth City Council. It works with young people to help them take positive steps to becoming a young adult such as finding a job, a safe home and staying healthy. The partnership also helps them develop their support networks by providing social activities, advocacy and the support of volunteer befrienders.
Many care leavers are isolated and lonely and don’t have a strong support network around them. Barnardo’s recruits volunteer mentors to help reduce that isolation, build young people’s confidence and self-esteem while also encouraging them to develop new skills, interests and activities.