Met as Care Leavers, Left as Family
Can you picture this for a moment? You’re standing alone, heart racing, on a stage in a foreign country, 5574km away from home. Around you, over 200 faces of strangers from across the world watching, waiting to hear your story. Who are you? Just one of many care leavers, with a life story too often overlooked. But here you are, holding our attention. They want to hear about our struggles, our dreams, our journeys. How would you feel, picturing yourself in that moment? How many of us get this rare chance to be seen, to be truly heard? But reaching that stage wasn’t easy. It started with a whisper, a possibility, a dream of representing care leavers at the FICE International Congress . Every step on the way was a challenge, testing patience, resilience, and hope. I remember hearing about the Congress for the first time. The idea of standing as a voice for care leavers worldwide felt surreal, almost daunting. Could I do it? Was I enough? The journey was humbling. ...