The voices, creativity and ambitions of young people across Orkney are taking centre stage this week as the islands celebrate Care Experienced Week 2026.
Care Experienced Week 2026 began on Monday 26 October, the annual event recognises children, young people and adults who have experienced care, alongside the families, friends and professionals who support them.
This year’s theme, Forward to the Future, puts particular emphasis on the hopes, ambitions and opportunities of Care Experienced people, encouraging communities to look beyond their past experiences and recognise the futures they want to build.
In Orkney, young people have helped create a programme that places their own experiences and creativity at the heart of the celebrations.
An Artivism campaign, developed by young people from across the islands, will be displayed at several locations throughout Kirkwall.
The main installation will appear behind the Travel Centre, created in collaboration with Orkney Builders, using art to communicate the thoughts and perspectives of those with experience of care.
The project offers young people an opportunity to express themselves in their own way, while inviting the wider community to listen and reflect.
Another important part of the week’s activities celebrates the practical skills and creativity of young people who took part in workshops over the summer.
Working alongside Soulisquoy Printmakers, a small group of Care Experienced young people produced handmade notebooks through a series of Made with Care workshops.
Their finished work will be available to purchase at Kirkwall Town Hall from Tuesday 27 until Friday 30 October, between noon and 1pm each day.
Sales will be cash only, with every penny of profit going directly to the young people who created the notebooks.
The initiative gives the participants an opportunity to share something they have made themselves while receiving recognition and financial benefit from their work.
Care Experienced Week was established in 2018 by Who Cares? Scotland and has since grown into an international celebration.
Alongside recognising achievements, the week aims to improve public understanding of care experience and challenge the stigma that some children and adults encounter.
It also provides an opportunity for communities and organisations to consider how they can better support people who have spent time in care.
Orkney Islands Council is supporting this year’s programme, which will conclude with a familiar and striking display in the heart of Kirkwall.
On Friday 30 October, St Magnus Cathedral will be illuminated in the colours of Scotland’s Promise, symbolising the commitment to improving the lives and experiences of children and young people who have been in care.
The illumination will provide a visible reminder of the importance of ensuring that every child grows up feeling valued, supported and able to look towards the future with confidence.
Scotland’s Promise reflects the national commitment to improving the care system and listening to the people whose lives are directly affected by it.
For Orkney, the week’s celebrations bring that commitment into everyday community life through artwork, creativity and opportunities for young people to be heard.
And when St Magnus Cathedral lights up on Friday evening, it will be a reminder that every young person’s story matters, and that their future deserves to be filled with possibility.
