Wow! What a week…and what a fantastic turnout at the Compass Conferences.
It’s been a long time coming with over 5 years of waiting – but of course, it proved to be as successful as ever with great support from staff and our band of wonderful carers.
Tuesday saw us at Copthorne Hotel in Gatwick for the first instalment, followed by the 240 mile trip up to Elland Road in Leeds for part 2.
Over the course of both days, we welcomed 233 staff members and 155 Carers.
At the Southern Conference, we were honoured to have guest speakers Danny and Mike from Lads Like Us share their experiences of abuse and trauma presented with their unique humour, but also their unique brand of realness, highlighting that anyone and everyone can be a valuable instrument of healing.
By simply asking a young person “why?” rather than labelling them as bad or difficult, you can halt the revolving door of pain and crime.
Later in the week, at the Northern Conference, we welcomed Danny again, but were also joined by Thom Delaney, who recounted his harrowing childhood experiences that led him down a dark path of addiction.
After managing to fight his way out of his addiction by choosing to seek help, Thom is now a thriving public speaker, whilst also being a student at the University of Glasgow, a partner and a loving father.
The afternoons were packed full of learning and discussions hosted by the Learning and Development team, with useful tips on how to use therapeutic healing tools when dealing with young people surviving trauma.
Turnout at the stands was impressive, and every attendee seemed keen to learn more about Compass Community’s services.
The takeaway from these conferences has been that young people won’t simply shatter into a million pieces when questioned about concerning patterns of behaviour, and it can actually open the door to healing.
“I have been blown away by the support from staff and carers at each of the Compass conferences” said Bernie Gibson, CEO of Compass Community. “The stories shared by our keynote speakers highlights the importance of services that we at Compass offer and how we can truly change the lives of each young person in our care. The work put in by everyone taking part in the event made the days a huge success and I’m very proud of all at Team Compass!”
Will you be joining us at the next conference? Find out more about fostering with Compass.
