Cambridge Standing Tall for young care leavers: How city’s giraffe trail will aid the charity Break

The city’s spectacular new giraffe sculpture trail, Cambridge Standing Tall, will raise vital funds for local charity Break, which supports young people in and around care.

Some 31 beautifully-decorated giraffe sculptures are now in place across the city, each sponsored by a local business and designed by an established national or regional artist. Alongside them are more than 60 Mini Gs, created by local schools and community groups.

Money from sponsors, and from those who purchase the trail app or merchandise, will aid Break and, once the 10-week trail comes to an end on June 2, the sculptures will be auctioned off to raise funds for the charity’s work.

As well as offering residential homes, foster care and therapeutic services, Break supports young people as they leave the care system.

Reaching the age of 18 should be a celebration, a rite of passage as you transition to adulthood while still needing the safety net of your family. For care leavers however, this time can be anything but a celebration.

Turning 18 changes their status meaning they legally have to leave the care system and move on from wherever they were living, often with little support. For some, this could mean staying in hostels or sofa surfing if their unable to find accommodation. With the limited choices available to around the 10,000 young people who leave care each year in England, according to most recent figures, they are more than three times more likely than their peers to be not in education, employment or training, and it’s estimated that 26 per cent of the homeless population have care experience.

But Staying Close, Staying Connected, run by Break - which supports young people in care, leaving care and on the edge care across East Anglia - ensures care leavers can safely take that journey towards independence – and the promise of lifelong support means that they are never alone.

“Cambridge Standing Tall is about bringing the community together to support the children and young people we care for. I am delighted to see the trail return to the city,” explains Break CEO Rachel Cowdry. “Many people who are care experienced across the UK don’t get the right support or don’t get it for as long as they need it to make a lasting difference. This can leave them feeling alone and finding life harder than we would want. They often have a higher mountain to climb, but with the right support, there really is nothing out of reach. At Break we want to ensure that young people have everything they need to be the best they can be.”

“Break has been working across East Anglia for over fifty years and our trails help us to bring awareness of the young care leavers in Cambridge and Cambridgeshire. Our leaving care project (Staying Close, Staying Connected) service is so vital, giving stability and support as they navigate their way into adulthood. Money raised by the trail really will help us to transform young lives.”

Break provide young care leavers with good quality housing and a transition worker who offer not just practical and emotional support, with all the advice and guidance they need to be able to truly flourish and shine.

Case study: Mel’s story

Mel, now 22, was really nervous about moving on from foster care.

“When I first moved into Staying Close at 18, I was anxious to leave the house or meet new people,” she says. “Essentially, my room became my home. I had no idea how to live independently. But my transition worker Rosie was with me every step of the way. She took me food shopping for the first few times, helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my future and guided me towards making this happen.

“Today, I’m much more confident. I’ve got my own flat, I’m doing an apprenticeship in HR and studying for a Diploma in Business. None of this would’ve been possible without Staying Close Staying Connected and Rosie’s support. My trust in people has increased and Break helped me realise that not everyone is there is to ruin your life. I have people around me now who deliver on what they’re saying.

“And I can see now what they mean by their lifelong offer, which I first thought wouldn’t happen, but even though I now need less support, they have been there whenever I’ve needed them and that's really comforting to know.”

So what better way than to celebrate our young care leavers than with this magnificent animal? Why not get yourself involved and #BeMoreGiraffe!

Feeling herd – a Mini G designed by Break’s young care leavers.

Young care leavers at Break designed their very own Mini G, thanks to funding from the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and used the project to express the range of emotions a care leaver can have.

“We were helped by Rosalind Harrison, one of the artists for the trail, who supported the young people how to transfer their ideas onto a giraffe,” explains Rebecca Graham, Break’s aspiration project worker.

“They started with a drawing exercise of expressing emotions, and then using the language of line: fast, slow lines, light, dark, smooth, rough, broken or flowing, they were able to channel their emotions onto the patches of the giraffe. It was really inspirational, and it helped them to talk about their mental health, how they were feeling and why they were feeling that way.”

Richie, one of the young people that took part said: “I enjoyed doing the giraffe project as it was fun and different and creative and I love the idea of the trail and look forward to seeing it out on the trail.”

Step up and Stand Tall – can you take on the trail challenge and fundraise?

While you’re hunting down all of the gentle giants on the trail, why not ‘Step Up, Stand Tall’ and ask friends and family to sponsor you at the same time?

There’s a 4k or 12k route that has been mapped out which take in some of the gentle giants as you wind your way through the picturesque city of Cambridge.

You can walk, run, cycle – or even invent your own animal-inspired move!

More than 300,000 people are expected to visit the trail this year – just imagine how many young lives could be changed if everyone stepped up and stood tall!

Head to cambridgestandingtall.co.uk to take part.