Creating a place for us: an overview of the FICE young people's conference 2004

Conferences like this allow us to get together, to share information, experiences
and more importantly, it gives us an excellent opportunity to make friends.
Throughout the last three days I’ve laughed, danced, played sport and, most
importantly, learnt so much about different cultures and nationalities. Not all
of us speak the same language and yet we have managed to communicate and
laugh together.

(Delegate to the FICE Young Person`s Conference at the end of the FICE
International Congress)

During the 46th International FICE Congress, a parallel event ran in Largs, Scotland. This event was called Creating a Place for Us and it was a three day
conference which brought together a group of young people from around
the world who were experiencing out-of-home care. It is safe to say that this
conference was a life-affi rming event for all who took part, including the adults.
I will attempt to give a fl avour of those few precious days and will hopefully
emphasise the importance of hearing the voice of the children and young people
who should be at the core of our work.