I am a lived experience charity leader in Scotland. Articulate is a small national charity that uses the arts, creativity and culture to help marginalised young people get to where they want to go. This Fellowship proposal, for research ‘time out’, is one of the tools of change we seek for our campaigning - whether for political awareness, to raise capital, or for changing hearts and minds.

Visiting New Zealand and Australia will help me examine other approaches that tackle exclusion, stigma, discrimination and poverty, at the same time as nurturing the amazing potential of these children and their families to self-start, self-direct and self-actualise - despite early life challenges and the complexity of the fast-paced and confusing world in which we all now live.

My study will focus on understanding the active ingredients of successful healing policies, people, places and processes for care-experienced young people. I will use my new-found knowledge, creative confidence and international experience to add fuel to the change-fire we have in our bellies - to see UNCRC Article 31 rights recognised and respected in every Scottish child’s care plan.