About
Hundreds of thousands of Australians spent part or all of their childhoods separated from their families for a range of reasons. Care Leavers have made extraordinary contributions to the Australian community – personally, politically and culturally. Through Activism and Advocacy many Care Leavers have led some of the most significant changes in social policy in Australian history. ‘More than our childhoods’ provides a place to collect and communicate these diverse experiences and achievements, in ways that will help inform and educate future generations of Care Leavers and activists.
Timeline – coming soon!
Care Leaver Activism & Advocacy
Currently in development… Australia’s most comprehensive interactive Timeline representing the Activism and Advocacy of Care Experienced people and their allies. We need you! The Research Team is scheduling regular online workshops between now and the end of 2022 to gather information, ideas and input. For information on upcoming sessions, please get in touch with the team.
Life Stories
From Deficit Models To Survivor Narratives
The life stories featured on this website aim to recognise the breadth and diversity of Care Leavers across time, especially those from, or with connections to, Australia. As a collection, these stories are a form of historical advocacy that seeks to reinforce narratives of survival and contributions to community, rather than the deficit-based models which often produce negative representations.
More About the Project
More Than Our Childhoods is part of a larger participatory research project that examines the long history of society stigmatising and negatively stereotyping Care Leavers, traces the rising prominence of survivor-activism in this area, and asks how we should be writing and telling the histories and life stories of Care Leavers today.