From isolation to belonging – A Blog from CELCIS

To mark Care Experienced Week 2024, CELCIS shares an amazing blog. We are honoured to be mentioned in it! 

‘Organisations can build community. For me, a few years ago I dipped my toe into education. As a child in care, going to university wasn’t just unattainable for me, it was unthought of. As an adult I challenged myself to find a way to get the education I missed as a child and to find a way to get into university, which I did. In my first year I connected with an organisation called the Hub for Success, which supports care experienced people to get in, stay in, or return to further and higher education. They met me where I was, they didn’t try to change me but accepted me as I am and have walked alongside me ever since. Through this connection I became part of the care experienced community and found my sense of belonging. Being part of a community has opened doors for me to make further connections, and this year I joined CELCIS as a consultant with lived experience. For me, these connections have welcomed me into a community which has given me a sense of belonging, and the more my community grows, the deeper my sense of belonging grows too.’