Way back in 2019, before any of us had heard of COVID-19, I learned about Churchill Fellowships. A colleague of mine had travelled to the US to find out how technology could be used to develop children's communication skills, and she shared her fascinating experience with our speech and language therapy (SaLT) team. I was (and still am) working primarily with children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), and I was intrigued to think about how we could learn from other countries' initiatives to support the large numbers of young people who are affected by this extremely common condition.
Churchill Fellowships are grants given to individuals who hope to bring a global perspective to address current challenges facing the UK. As the website says, successful applicants "are funded to discover the latest innovations and best practice in any practical issue they care passionately about, anywhere in the world. They meet leading practitioners, engage with cutting-edge projects and create a report on their findings." Any UK citizen can apply, and the range of topics is truly diverse. If you have an idea for a project, I'd recommend applying!
What really appealed to me about the Fellowship was the chance to step out of the local context and view a situation with fresh eyes. Australia is home to so many exciting initiatives focused on DLD, including research groups, schools and advocacy projects, and there is a healthy tradition of UK speech and language therapists (pathologists as they are known in Oz) working in Australia and vice versa. While the education and health care systems are different, there are areas of commonality, which convinced me that I would be able to take what I learn and apply it to the UK context in which I work.
So, in 2019, I sent in my application to the Churchill Fellowship and waited. After a successful interview in January 2020, I eagerly set about emailing renowned leaders in the field, and excitedly planning my trip for later that year.
Ah.
As we locked down, plans were postponed and life continued, albeit at a slower pace. I shifted to seeing families online, had a baby, and eventually returned to working face-to-face. Finally, in 2022, the travel embargo for worldwide Fellowships was lifted, and I cautiously reached out to my previous contacts, hopeful they would remember our best laid plans. To my relief and gratitude, they all responded with renewed enthusiasm. There will be additional challenges to the trip- I suspect the 16 hour flight with my toddler will not be an easy undertaking- but I am so excited to be finally making the trip to Australia. To meet, to explore, and to learn all about DLD Down Under.
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