Key Highlights
- The Aftercare Project supports care-experienced young people by helping them document their experiences through storytelling.
- The project aims to rewrite the endings for care leavers, offering a creative and trauma-informed space where they can take back their narratives.
- The work of The Aftercare Project is funded by Arts Council England and focuses on building a digital legacy and creating pathways into professional writing.
- Through workshops and zine-making, young people have complete editorial control over their stories, fostering a sense of authorship and mattering.
The Silent Erasure: Understanding Care Leavers’ Needs
Jade Mash, the founder of The Aftercare Project, recalls her own journey into care when she was just 10 years old. She shared, “When I became a teacher, I noticed patterns among children who vanished from classrooms without goodbye. Some were ‘moved,’ some ‘aged out,’ and others simply disappeared.” These disappearances marked the end of their documented existence in the system, but Mash recognized that these young people’s needs did not cease at 18.
A Creative Haven for Storytelling
The Aftercare Project emerged from this realization. It is a creative and trauma-informed space designed to help care-experienced young people turn pain into power through storytelling. Through workshops, zine-making, and co-authored guides, the project invites participants to take back their narratives, ensuring that they are not just written about but actively involved in shaping their stories.
Mash emphasized, “Care leavers are not statistics; they are poets, storytellers, and survivors carrying unwritten chapters.” The project offers a space where young people can speak in their own language—through words, art, or silence—and see their experiences reflected and honoured. They hold complete editorial control over their stories, choosing what to share, how to share it, and the form their voice takes.
Building a Digital Legacy
The Aftercare Project is not just about immediate support; it also aims to build a lasting digital legacy for care-experienced young people. Supported by Arts Council England, the project creates a national space where these individuals can connect, create, and see themselves reflected. Additionally, they are developing pathways into professional writing and mentoring, ensuring that creativity becomes both healing and an opportunity.
Mash explained, “Our sessions aren’t about fixing trauma; they’re about witnessing truth. They offer a space to speak in one’s own language, through words, art, or silence, and to see experience reflected and honoured.” This approach is crucial because it allows young people to reclaim their voices and identities after years of systemic dehumanization.
The Call to Action
Mash concluded by issuing a call to action. “This is my invitation, and my call to action,” she said. “If you are a young person with care experience, we want to hear your voice. If you work in education, social care, or youth engagement, open your spaces, share your platforms, and help us reach those who need it most.” The Aftercare Project is committed to ensuring that no young person’s story ends when the system closes their file. It seeks to turn the pages of these young people’s lives from bureaucratic paperwork into meaningful narratives filled with hope and possibility.
