When young people enthuse about a project it is time to sit up and listen. Such was my experience at the 2004 annual conference of the Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum. A seed was sown. In the summer of 2005 I became involved with a group of young people (service users) who are developing specialist teaching inputs to the various social work courses at the Robert Gordon University. It was important that in this process recognition was given to the personal development requirements of the participants. To this end I explored the possibility of the whole Group undertaking the Leadership Academy.

The planning took place over the first 6 months of 2006 leading to the residential week at the end of June. I was impressed by the ‘can do’ flexible approach of Columba 1400 in the manner in which they accommodated the particularly diverse profile of the Group. A good example of this being the offer to find a place for a participant’s young child to be looked after near the project so that she could attend. We did in the end get child care in Aberdeen and I would like to acknowledge our gratitude to Aberdeen city Council for a small grant award that made this possible.

The induction sessions were vital and engaging in their delivery. They facilitated the integration of new group members with the core. They provided the opportunity for questions to be explored and the documentation to be in place to the satisfaction of the young people’s support agencies. Sometimes a difficult task in our risk averse culture.

The week itself was excellent and surpassed my expectations. I was impressed with the skills with which the Columba team appropriately responded to individual need whilst never loosing sight of the overall goal.  A sophisticated task seldom achieved in the residential setting. I talk from the position of having experienced many a disrupted sleepover. The quality of nurturing care and the attention to detail is the ‘x’ factor in my opinion. Returning from the Hero’s Path to find the building lit and the fire on was indeed magical, as was the hot chocolate at night. This experience of being valued contrasts starkly with much of the practice in the residential care sector. I personally will take this lesson away from Columba 1400.

As for the future, I am filled with confidence that the academy experience has resourced the Group in terms of the delivery of teaching to the social work students. Perhaps more importantly it has delivered individual insight into the potential all participants carry within. This they can take with them to meet their own challenges as they journey through life. We will all have a very special bond forged around the knowledge deck that we can call on to support eachother in times of pain and distress.

Jeremy Millar
Robert Gordon's University