By Sarah Dale
3 November 2025
Struggling means growing – that is 11-year-old Alice Carruthers’ mantra.
And it’s behind her decision to support this year’s CEO Sleepout in Sunderland from 8pm on Thursday, 6th November, until 6am the following morning.
Alice will not only be bedding down in a sleeping bag outdoors to raise money for people affected by homelessness, but also, she will be capturing every moment using her journalistic skills as part of the Junior Journalism programme at NetWORK NotWORK CIC.
“I was born prematurely, which brought some challenges like hearing loss and tunnel vision, but it’s also made me stronger,” explains Alice, who lives in Wynyard with her family.
“School hasn’t always been easy, and I’ve often had to work harder to keep up, but I’ve learned that struggling means growing.
“A big part of my journey has been joining Junior Journalism, a place that gives young people like me a voice and a safe space to learn and share. It’s helped me build confidence, develop new skills and realise that my story matters. I may have challenges, but I also have dreams – and I’m proud of who I am.”
Junior Journalism is one of the strands of NetWORK NotWORK, a community interest company – founded by Alice’s mum and dad, Kat and Michael Carruthers – which aims to make networking “more fun”, promote business growth and create an empowered intergenerational community. It has seven networking groups across the North-east in Stockton, Redcar, Hartlepool, Sunderland, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle.
The CIC was created to provide a solution to the challenge of social value that works for businesses, enhances workplace culture, provides seamless CPD opportunities and ensures personal and professional growth.
NetWORK NotWORK is also extremely committed to its younger members and provides a series of programmes, including ‘Level Up! Navigating your way to WORK with NetWORK NotWORK’, supporting individuals not in employment, education or training (NEET), and ‘Ignite XP’, supporting children and young adults from eight to 24, as well as a creative media programme, ‘Junior Journalism’, to give pupils opportunities to explore the world of work, develop vital skills and build their confidence.
As part of the Junior Journalism programme, Alice, like the others on the scheme, has grown her skillset through learning how to interview and film people for a podcast and she is excited to test her skills at the event in Sunderland. Alice will be joined on the CEO Sleepout by her seven-year-old brother Alex and their mum and dad.
“At NWNW we believe that every child and young person deserves the chance to thrive, no matter their background,” says Kat.
“Each programme is carefully designed to complement the national curriculum and links classroom learning with real-world challenges, helping pupils understand not just ‘what’ they are learning, but ‘why’ it matters for their future. Our unique ‘Know, Develop and Grow’ approach to education moves learners from exploratory work to practical application.”
The CEO Sleepout Sunderland takes place at the Stadium of Light and is one of the most intimate and impactful CEO Sleepout events in the region. CEO Sleepout is a national charity, founded in Teesside, which was set up to inspire the business community to unite to fight homelessness, raise money for frontline services, and help to change lives.
To register for the CEO Sleepout Sunderland, visit: CEO Sleepout Sunderland 2025 | CEO Sleepout
Funding for the Junior Journalism programme was provided by Larch, Thirteen, Asda Foundation and Miller Homes, and the Ignite XP! programme has been funded by Believe Housing and Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
To find out more about NetWORK NotWORK and to register for free at one of the upcoming events, visit www.networknotwork.co.uk
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