University pledges to support care leavers
Published On Tue 27 Oct 2015 by Grant Hill
Professor Sir Pete Downes, Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Dundee, will this week pledge the institution’s support for young people brought up in care.
He will sign up for the ‘Pledge to Listen’ campaign ahead of a special Care Leavers Lecture, which will take place at the University’s Dalhousie Building on Friday, 30th October. The campaign is run by Who Cares? Scotland. WCS are also hosting the lecture, which will be attended by representatives of dozens of organisations from across the country.
Pledge to Listen directly tackles discrimination and stigma faced by looked-after children and young people and care leavers. Many children in care report that they are afraid of prejudice or of being treated differently because of their situation. The campaign aims to dispel the myths about children in care by getting members of the public to listen to young people’s side of the story.
Dr John Blicharski, Access & Participation Manager & Senior Lecturer at Dundee said, “The University has a strong track record in helping the brightest and best, regardless of background, on their learning journey and to fulfil their potential.
“Clearly more has to be done to ensure that children who are brought up in care do not miss out on the opportunities that their peers enjoy. As such, we are delighted that the University Principal is signing the pledge and will continue to widen access to try and ensure that personal circumstances should be no barrier to access to higher education.”
The lecture takes place as part of National Care Leavers Week Scotland, a programme of events and activities celebrating the contributions of Care Leavers across Scotland. This year’s Care Leavers Lecture will be delivered by Laura Beveridge, who will be sharing her personal care story, how she has overcome obstacles with education, health and belonging and how she is using her voice to make a difference for future care leavers.
She said, “It feels really good to finally be able to stand up as a care experienced person and proudly celebrating National Care Leavers Week Scotland. I would like to use the Care Leavers Lecture as an opportunity to share my story as a way of challenging stigma, enabling care experienced young people to proudly own their identity in a positive way that gives hope for a brighter future.
“My hope is that one day all care experienced young people don’t feel different or excluded, as I did. They feel like they belong and most importantly that they feel loved. If young people have the support of professionals, their care family and a sense of belonging in their communities, anything is possible.”
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
Tel: +44 (0)1382 384768
Mobile: 07854 953277
Email: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk