Affinity Fostering is proud to be part of #PrideMonth2024, empowering and enhancing young lives through nurture, acceptance, advocacy and encouragement.
Pride Month has its roots in 1960’s New York City. In 1969 the Stonewall Uprising sparked a series of protests against Police discrimination and harassment. This started the Pride Movement with the first march taking place on the anniversary of the uprising.
Today, Pride Month is a global movement which aims to celebrate diversity and campaigns for inclusivity and equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community in all aspects of modern life.
At Affinity Fostering, we know that young people still have to deal with prejudice and discrimination when it comes to sexuality or gender identity. For children and young people who are care-experienced, this can be particularly difficult as they may already struggle with other aspects of their identity related to their past experiences and the fact that they are growing up in Foster Care. We know there is a stigma attached to being in Foster Care and children and young people face scrutiny and prejudice daily. When you add struggles related to sexuality and gender, life can be overwhelming for our young people.
At Affinity Fostering, every child is an individual. Each young person has their own needs and expectations. Our job is to empower them to embrace all that they are.
One of the most powerful ways we can support LGBTQ+ children is to find them the very best Foster Carers to help them with their questions and challenges. This means that we need to recruit as diverse a pool of Foster Carers as possible. At Affinity Fostering, we have established a family where everyone is accepted and where all Foster Carers feel welcome. Everyone is respected and appreciated for the unique perspectives they can bring to fostering.
Affinity Fostering believes in giving young people experiences and opportunities to shine. This might mean celebrating achievements, talents and skills but it also means providing new experiences to gain confidence and self-esteem. Last year, we provided a group of our young people with an opportunity to excel on the water with a trip to the UKSA, based on the Isle of Wight. One young person was so inspired by this trip that we ended up arranging for him to attend a residential course to gain his Water sports Instructor’s Qualification. Opportunities like this allow all children to entertain new possibilities regardless of their background, ethnicity, religion, sexuality or gender. It is this equality that is at the very heart of both #PrideMonth2024 and the Affinity Fostering Team ethos.
When trying to support children and young people, the only way to ensure you’re getting it right is to get the children and young people to tell you what they want and need. At Affinity Fostering, our Young People’s forum, Voices meet regularly to talk about the things that they are struggling with, and propose ways that Affinity can help them. In these group sessions, everyone is equal, valued and has something to bring to the table. Our Voices group inspires Pride in us and helps shape the future for other children and young people.
If you’d like to join us in Enhancing and Empowering Young Lives, contact us this #PrideMonth2024.
E: info@affinityfostering.com
W: www.affinityfostering.com
F: www.facebook.com/affinityfostering
T: 01245 237 158
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