It's been a decade since I embarked on my Churchill Fellowship learnings to the USA to explore the wide use there of 'Teen' & 'Peer' Courts. These are problem solving courts for young people that prioritise restorative approaches and are almost exclusively operated by young people. On my return, I was able to have some local and national influence to embed restorative practices within the youth criminal justice sector and created an award-winning programme called the Hampshire Community Court based on my findings.
"Despite all the changes that have happened in the last ten years, one constant is that my Fellowship today remains a key part of my identity as it did back when I received the news that I was to be awarded one."
At its peak of operation, the Hampshire Community Court helped divert almost 200 children away from crime and prevented over 90% of them from re-offending, all with the support of around 50 youth volunteers across 5 towns/cities in Hampshire.
At lot has changed in the past ten years and I've found it to be an important milestone in which to take stock and reflect. Although I've changed careers from the one in which I undertook my Fellowship - I still contribute as a volunteer and the passion from being a Fellow is a main driver for that. That Churchillian spirit and ethos of never giving up and not being afraid to fail, gave me that spark which extinguished the self-doubt I used to have about someone from my once deprived background being capable of reaching for and achieving great things. I also still lean into the skills I acquired on my Fellowship journey such as communication, planning, research, critical thinking, partnership engagement and presenting information to name a few.
When I undertook my Fellowship learning travels, my children were toddlers and now, they are teens! They have grown up with me being a Churchill Fellow and I feel pride whenever I hear them sharing the stories I have shared with them about my Fellowship. One thing every Fellow will tell you is that standing behind them is a supportive family. Ten years on, I took my family to Los Angeles; the place I spent most of my time on my six-week Fellowship travels. I was able to show them some of the things I learned and some of the places I visited, and it was a way for me to thank them for the support they have given me.
If you are lucky like me, you'll also stay connected with some of the great people that you meet on your Churchill Fellowship. Although he is now retired, an LAPD officer I met in 2013, Pilot Sgt Malachi, invited me and my family to meet up with him once again at the LAPD Air Support Division HQ. My family and I were treated to a tour and a helicopter fly past as guests of honour. We all had a fantastic morning and it's now a shared experience that will forever bond my family and my Fellowship as this would not have happened without it.
Despite all the changes that have happened in the last ten years, one constant is that my Fellowship today remains a key part of my identity as it did back when I received the news that I was to be awarded one. And that is one of the great things, in my view, of the Churchill Fellowship. It’s something that you do once in your lifetime at a specific point in time; but it’s something that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.
Sgt Laura Gibson works with Police Scotland’s Partnerships, Preventions and Community Wellbeing Division focusing on mental health and suicide prevention. A Churchill Fellowship took her to the United States to explore the wellbeing and resilience support and training offered to people working in law enforcement.
By Laura Gibson,
England and Wales imprisons more of its citizens than any other country in Western Europe according to a Prison Reform Trust Report. And in 2015, I became one of those imprisoned citizens.
By Jacob Hill,
In July 2010, a message from my son, taken from me at birth, began my journey to uncover the truths of our shared history and the forced adoption practices of post-WWII. My Churchill Fellowship allowed me to learn from Australia's response to these injustices, with the hope that the UK can adopt similar healing measures for affected families.
By Jeannot Farmer,
Ministry of Justice data shows that 57 per cent of adult prisoners have literacy levels below those expected of an 11-year-old.
By Richard Wakelin,
