Julian is one of our Story of Care Ambassadors. For Care Experienced History Month, he put together this video as a response to her research into Charles Dickens and the media portrayal of the care experience in the 19th century.
I chose to put a piece together based on Charles Dickens’ 19th century article, Received, a Blank Child. It was written about how the Foundling Hospital was run and some of the policies that were introduced, and it resonated with me when thinking about the policies we have in the care system today. I was particularly interested in it because it is a media portrayal of the care experience, and I put together my podcast, Foundling: Found to interrogate the media’s depiction of care.
I decided to use the podcast format because it is a way of giving young care experienced people, who often feel voiceless, a voice. It gives them a safe place to share their experiences and I aim to create a place of understanding with compassion and empathy for my podcast guests. Another of my aims is to provide thought-provoking conversation to a wider audience who wouldn’t normally listen to, or engage with the care system.
I put the video below together to showcase the research I did for my podcast specifically around Received a Blank Child. It includes Coram Archivist Jo Blyghton and Lucinda Hawksley, author and great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. It also includes a reading of the article by actor Simon Callow.
Being an ambassador has been eye-opening and rewarding. It’s been eye-opening because of the things I’ve learned throughout the process and the journey of development has been a massive thing for me. It’s rewarding because of the things I’ve been able to achieve and the relationships I’ve built with the other ambassadors. It’s been incredible and the relationships will last for a very long time.
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