On Wednesday 29th April, we were delighted to join colleagues from the University of Sheffield in welcoming Suzanne Carrie (Head of Student Equality and Welfare) and Chloe Lewis (Strategic Adviser to the Director for Fair Access and Participation) from the Office for Students onto the university campus, to discuss “Our Future, Our Way”.
“Our Future, Our Way” is a cross-sector collaborative project focused on supporting young people on a Child Protection Plan on their educational journeys, funded by the Office for Students’ Equality of Opportunity in Higher Education Innovation Fund, and delivered in partnership with Frontline, London Academy of Excellence Tottenham, and Imperial College London.
The purpose of the visit was to discuss the barriers experienced by young people on a Child Protection Plan, share the progress and successes of “Our Future, Our Way”, and explore with Suzanne and Chloe the opportunities for longer-term sector change. The project team shared insights from the research phase of the project, reflections on the collaborative design of the activity, and learnings from the first year of delivery. We were joined by Annalisa Toccara-Jones, one of the Academic Guides who worked with students on the programme, who shared her experiences:
“‘Our Future, Our Way’ gives students the chance to see themselves as learners from an early stage, through structured support and time spent engaging with university ideas and spaces. Over the programme, I’ve seen a considerable change in confidence, with students becoming more comfortable sharing their thoughts, asking questions and working through more challenging ideas. As an academic tutor, it’s been really rewarding to support their progress and to be part of a programme that takes their thinking seriously.”
We were also thrilled to share examples of the incredible work completed by the young people taking part in the programme, focused on how to make their local area a more child-friendly and inclusive place to live. Using different formats, including posters, presentations and even poetry, participating students explored the issues that mattered most to them – from LGBT+ inclusion to animal welfare, from safety on public transport to wheelchair accessibility.
We look forward to working more closely with Suzanne, Chloe and other OfS colleagues to ensure this project has maximum impact for the young people involved, and for the wider sector.
For project updates – and to hear more about forthcoming dissemination activities – please sign up here.