The CLNM Chairs Blog

Posted 29th March 2023

'News round'

with

Jodie and Sean

Care Leavers National Movement have two chairs, we are Jodie and Sean. Our role is to always promote the vision of CLNM, amongst other things.

"CLNM’s vision is to have a platform that authentically engages young people in developing care leaving services. They do this by having access to the tools they need to empower themselves and support care leavers within Local House Projects. CLNM positively challenge and influence leaving care services on a local and national level, by doing this they can improve outcomes for young people leaving care across the country."

We were both appointed as chairs earlier this year and sit as part of the Trustee Advisory Board at The National House Project. Our role is varied and tailored to what works for the other 35 young people that form CLNM from across the UK.
 
One of our responsibilities is to Chair CLNM meetings – let us tell you a bit about our last meetings.
 
We came, we saw, we conquered….on a serious note….
 
Across the three CLNM meetings hosted by Local House Projects in Coventry, Manchester, and Fife we supported 27 young people to come together and start to build relationships through a shared experience of House Project. They all gave updates around what had been working for young people in their Local House Projects as well as First Aid Training, conversations around Stigma and planning for our 2023 Peer Evaluation of House Projects.
 
For us, the growth of young people throughout the meetings was obvious to see. We saw young people pushing through the nerves and talking in front of a room full of people – this was a new experience for many, just like chairing a meeting was a new experience for us.
 
Being part of CLNM is a great opportunity to change the narrative and promote all the good that care experience people have to offer. We want to support CLNM reps to fulfil their potential, feel valued and be ambitious about their lives and what they can achieve.
 
We look forward to updating you about how our two day National Meeting goes next month and if anyone gets any sleep.
 
Thanks for reading,

Jodie and Sean X