Henrietta: Amplifying Voices of Care-experienced Young People
Henrietta is an applied theatre practitioner with a lifetime’s history of being engaged with policies that tackle the over-representation of looked-after children in the criminal justice system. Her passion for the arts and social justice has led her to set up her own theatre company called ‘Redefine’, which was funded by the Agency. Redefine is a theatre company for young people who have been in the care system. They use the arts as a creative tool for young people to express themselves around the subject matter of ‘identity and belonging in care.’ Henrietta is a public speaker and trustee for an organisation Agenda for women at risk of social exclusion Henrietta currently works for Become, a national charity that supports children and care leavers as their participation officer. Her work at Become consists of co-designing spaces for care-experienced young people to ensure their views and experiences shape the care system and key policymakers. Her focus in the charity is to amplify the voices of care-experienced young people and work directly with the policy and campaigns team to deliver innovative, meaningful, and co-produced participation work which creates real systemic change.
“The Agency made me think creatively about my whole life. The process started with me and my desire and was shaped around what I wanted to do. It’s made me who I am today.”
Henrietta is from the local Wandsworth area, and through The Agency she set up a theatre company for care leavers called Redefine when she was 21. The project is based on her personal experience, when she was 14, Henrietta and her little brother were taken into care. Shortly after, she was expelled from school for carrying a knife. She went through eight different foster homes and was excluded from mainstream education. When she started the Agency, she had just started living in her own flat after having lived in a severely underfunded and unsafe hostel for four years and was already on route to being evicted.
“If I could describe what the Agency means to me, I would say it’s an exchange of power to young people It’s a movement of changemakers it’s empowering it unlocks marginalised young people’s potential for social change. And lastly, it should be in every borough every school every council estate every youth club and we shouldn’t stop till every young person in the UK has experienced the power of the Agency!”
She always knew she wanted to give back to care leavers but did not know how to do this when her mentor persuaded her to do The Agency. At first, she didn’t take it seriously – it was just to pass the time. But, over the weeks there was a shift. The biggest shift happened when she was awarded the money from the Panel. It was a huge boost for her self-esteem; a sense of identity; and belonging. The Panel believed in her idea - and that is huge for a young person who has just come out of care.
“I felt autonomy, responsibility and a sense of agency. I’ve always had external agencies – be it a teacher, a social worker, a sexual advisor, a councillor, or a mental health therapist– talking for me, but this time I could talk for myself.”
Since The Agency, she has worked as an Assistant Facilitator on the programme and Outreach Coordinator at BAC. She has worked for Ernst & Young, one of the largest companies in the world, as a Careers Consultant for Young People in Care. Henrietta studied at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2016 with a BA in Drama, Applied Theatre and Education. She also set up her own children’s party business, ‘Happy Henry’, which brings joy through drama to children.
Advocacy and Achievements
Sat on Board of Trustees for Agenda- an alliance for women at risk of social exclusion, which included leading meetings with a range of influential people including the Chief Executive of Barnardo’s and the Head of Children’s Services and Leaving Care Services in councils across London.
Sat on the Advisory Panel for Esmee Fairbairn’s ‘Care Leavers 2020'
Presented at City Hall for BAME Care Leavers Network Presented in Brazil and Argentina at the Fondo Nacional de las Artes Conference
Presented at Local Trust’s Creative Civic Change Presented to Sussex Police about working with young people in care Presented at Creative Scotland’s Sharing the Power event
Is a key advocate for the rights of care leavers, and was involved in The Independent Review of Children's Social Care, launched in 2022. Which saw Henrietta meeting with key MPs and being featured in different news media including the BBC.
Henrietta has been on The Agency Panel for BAC and was a previous trustee for the organisation.
Further Achievements
Member of the Black Care Experience Steering Group Committee 2022
Member of the Prison Reform Trust committee to tackle the over-representation of young people in care
Panel speaker for Esmee Fairbairn’s unlocking change webinar
Founder of Redefine theatre company Wandsworth borough
Designed/co-produced six creative consultations with 75 care-experienced young people across the UK at EY Foundation.
Awarded £6,780 worth of council funding to set up a theatre company for care leavers
Public speaker for BAME care leavers network in parliament
Presented at City Hall for BAME Care Leavers Network
Presented in Brazil and Argentina for creative social change summit
Facilitator and consultant for the verbatim formula at Queen Mary’s University
Public speaker for children in care council in Wandsworth borough
Advisory panel member for Esmee Fairbairn Care Leavers Strategy 2020
Board of Trustees for Agenda, a charity that works with women at risk of social exclusion and domestic abuse.
Presented at Sussex Police working with children/young people in care
Former Trustee of Battersea Arts Centre’s Creative Partnerships Group
Presented at Creative Scotland’s Sharing the Power event
Presented at Local Trust’s Creative Civic Change event
Current Trustee of The Agency of Change
In Henrietta’s Words
I have been a Trustee for Agenda for 5 years a charity that fights for women and girls at risk of social exploitation or experience of being In the criminal justice system. I set up a business for seven years called Happy Henry Entertainment, which is now peaking in children's entertainment and being booked for celebrity clients such as Anthony Joshua’s foundation 3 years in a row. Launched a 100 Christmas hamper campaign for young mothers in care in 2022 working alongside six local authorities in London I was able to mobilise a GoFundMe page to deliver 100 luxury baby hampers and recruited 20 volunteers to help deliver the hampers to hostel mothers and baby units and local councils. I have delivered over 50 public speaking engagements to policymakers and international audiences through the Agency and my external networks. I have co-designed a national employability programme with 75 care-experienced young people in the private sector at one of the top four accountancy companies In London EY.
Read more about Henrietta’s story in this article here.