Leicestershire Cares celebrated Care Day 2021 by launching their new collectively authored book Taking Hold of Our Heritage. This book has been created by care experienced young people to tell the stories of their lives.
The sold out event took place on Friday the 19th of February, and featured a book reading, and a Q and A, hosted by two care experienced young people, Casey and Diana.
The event was attended by young people, as well as dignitary including the chair of England’s Independent Care Review, Josh MacAlister, National Implementation Adviser for Care Leavers, Mark Riddell and a number of local Councillors and businesses.
Extracts from the book
This video features extracts from the book and interviews, performed by young people who have taken part in the creation of Taking Hold of Our Heritage.
Book Reviews
By Boingboing
This is such a beautiful, moving book that will stay with you long after you have read it. ‘Taking Hold of our Heritage’ are stories of strength and pride. It is so great to see care experienced young people taking back power and crafting their own heritage. The stories feel like the beginning of new chapters for individuals, paths carved out through choice.
Producing this volume feels like a collective resilient move. Despite not having grown up in conventional circumstances, all of the contributors are bouncing forward and actively beating the odds whilst working towards changing the odds. We wish them well for the future and salute their bravery.
In our organisation (Boingboing), individuals from all walks of life come together to build their own resilience and support others with this. As a care leaver and an adoptive parent ‘Taking Hold of our Heritage’ resonates strongly with our experiences. We know only too well from personal experience that information like birth weight, place of birth and likes and dislikes as young children are losses to be grieved. When a child or young person is quickly moved from a situation, the importance of personal information, toys, clothes, and photographs is so often forgotten. Taking Hold of Our Heritage is a beautiful way in which to remember what has been lost, but perhaps even more importantly, what has been gained through this wonderful process of collective resilience building.
Louise Brinton-Clarke, care experienced adult, Co-production Coordinator for Boingboing and counsellor.
Professor Angie Hart, adoptive parent, former foster carer, Chair of Boingboing's Board, Director of Centre of Resilience for Social Justice, University of Brighton and psychotherapist.
Would you like a copy of our new, collectively authored book Taking Hold of Our Heritage?
This book has been created by care experienced young people to tell the stories of their lives.We have a limited number of books, but if you would like a free copy while stocks last, please send us an email, with your name and address.
If you would like more than one copy, please let us know how they will be used, and we can probably accommodate you.
Once we have run out of books, we may organise another print run if demand is high. For this we may have to charge a small fee to cover printing and postage.
There is also an option of a digital version. Click here to find out how to get the digital version of the book
Please contact Jacob for more details. jacob@leicestershirecares.co.uk
More about Taking Hold of Our Heritage
This book project gave the narrative power back to care experienced young people so they can tell the stories they want heard about their lives. Care experienced young people are often required to talk about their traumatic past to professionals, support services and sometimes their peers. Telling the same stories over and over again can start to imprint on their identity and heritage. Young people in care often move several times which can result in photographs and family keepsakes being misplaced and lost.
This project aimed to encourage care experienced young people to reflect on positive memories to change the narrative they tell about their lives, and recreate their own heritage artefacts. In this book, care experienced young people have investigated the complex nature of their identity through this project and produced an archive of artefacts including oral histories, art and photovoice.
The young people have investigated the memories and experiences of Leicestershire’s leaving care community, by looking at themselves, but also interviewing and documenting other care experienced young people’s lives.
Our work with care experienced young people
- Find out about the work we do with care experienced young people: mental wellbeing, employment and training, campaigning for Care Leavers rights, building social connection.
- Sign our Promise to Care
- Hear the voices of care experienced young people in our Podcasts
- Taking Hold of Our Heritage
For more information about our work with care experienced young people, please contact jacob@leicestershirecares.co.uk