Hello, I'm Charli! I am from Birmingham and grew up interested in reading, writing and history. I took history and philosophy at both GCSE and A Level, along with Chemistry A Level. I have been a Scout since I was 10 years old, and now I have been a Leader since I was 16 too.

 

I found school really difficult due to my sensory needs and struggling socially and with bullying, and I was admitted to a CAMHS unit when I was 15 which is where I got my autism diagnosis.   After school, I went to sixth form for my A Levels and then went straight to university at Lancaster for my degree in Politics and International Relations. At university I was part of different forums for marginalised groups, the Scouts and Guides group, and singing. 

I had to take a year out in the middle of my degree and then went back part time.   For the last five years I have worked with the NHS and many charities around autism and inpatient mental health care, as well as doing public speaking and writing. I am currently studying for my Masters in Gender Studies and hoping to do a PhD.

My special interests are Alice Oseman books/Heartstopper, world elite gymnastics, Six the Musical, neurodiversity and disability.   As a teenager, my special interests also included Weimar Germany, the world wars, Lush, Divergent, and the Hunger Games.

I have been a Scout Leader since I was 16 working with 8-10 and 10-14 year olds on a weekly basis, as well as facilitating assemblies, talks and workshops in schools and psychiatric spaces. I also have three younger neurodivergent siblings!