Walking Tall workshops: a summary
Our series of Walking Tall workshops has now concluded, and we are delighted to report that it has been an absolutely informative, invaluable, and fun experience.
'Thank you sooo much for what you did with the children, they all had an absolute blast and loved the things they made. They were totally exhausted tonight. You guys are all amazing and as a foster family we truly appreciate you!!'
Those were some encouraging words from a foster carer, for The Fostering Network staff who were involved in the Walking Tall workshops.
Walking Tall is an opportunity for us to come together and share, so we can all learn from each other and pave the way for a better tomorrow. John F. Kennedy once said that ’Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future’ and we couldn’t agree more. The children (our Walking Tall heroes) provided us with a wealth of wisdom in terms of what would enhance their fostering experience. We had all kinds of feedback, ranging from the conventional, as in:
‘I like sharing a room because you have someone to talk to.’
‘It’s important that I have a quiet place because my house can get noisy.’
All the way up to the remarkable, for example:
‘All foster carers should have mansions.’
‘I like Zombie carers.’
‘You need a superhero in every family.’
Following the completion of the Walking Tall workshops, all participants and their families were invited along to a celebration event at Dynamic Earth, in Edinburgh.
70 foster carers with 71 children from their fostering families as well as two members of the Care Review and our Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland, Bruce Adamson with his adorable young daughter joined us for a day of face painting, lunch, some Walking Tall activities and a tour around their fantastic 4D planetary experience of the lifetime.
So far, the Walking Tall project has gained some exceptionally positive feedback and investment from key stakeholders. We very much look forward to the next phase of the project, which involves designing, producing and distributing resources that will help enhance the fostering experience for our members.
Once again, thank you to all of our Walking Tall heroes for being part of this exciting and innovative project. We could not have done it without you.
Here are a few photos from the workshops for you to enjoy.
