Our wonderful Liz Lyman and Sam Tarbit share the amazing highlights of attending Bedford Borough's Care Leavers event.
A country and Western theme and a wonderful sense of community made the Bedford Borough Care Leavers event on November 9th, a celebration to remember! We were delighted to join care leavers, local authority staff and other providers for a day of coming together, making connections and celebrating young people in the area.
We enjoyed chatting with young people about the support available through NYAS and sharing the benefits of the Side by Side project. It was a great opportunity to talk about being supported by a volunteer mentor and hear from young people who would love to get involved.
Another wonderful highlight was seeing a young person already supported by Side by Side enthusiastically championing the project to everyone at the event! He shared what a huge difference his mentor is making in his life, bringing the value of that support to life in his own words.
There were some exciting connections along the way, too! We met local services and providers we hope to stay in touch with, opening more opportunities to signpost young people to support. We also received new referrals from young people keen to have a volunteer mentor by their side.
One particularly special moment was meeting a potential new care-experienced volunteer who is approaching her 25th birthday. She expressed that she would love to use her own experience to help, support and inspire other young people as they navigate their care-leaving journeys. Her enthusiasm was a lovely reminder of how powerful shared experience can be.
We came away with new connections, promising conversations and plenty to feel positive about. It was lovely to be part of a community coming together to celebrate care leavers and help young people feel supported as they take their next steps
