Keep dreaming
21 year old Kyle Simmons – stage name Kay Jay – is a talented actor, singer/rapper and songwriter from the South of England. This month sees the release of his first professionally produced track. 'Keep Dreaming' is and aspirational anthem for care leavers – its catchy refrain 'Keep Dreaming – can't wait to see the man you're gonna turn out to be' could be any father talking to his son, any parent imagining what their child is going to make of themselves in the world. How many children, when growing up in care, have someone who really cares about what they will be as an adult, or even gives it a thought? How many care leavers as young adults have that parental figure still holding the hope for them and projecting with them an ambition and belief that stretches into the future?
Kay-Jay - Keep Dreaming
Kay Jay's message speaks to all young people, but particularly to those in care, and it is a powerful one. How did he come to pen this song?
"I had a lot of experiences when I left care of promises being broken, things not being put in place. I kept thinking how can they expect people to go for what they want in life and succeed when the service are so quick to mess you around. I was already then working on a diss on the system but that's all it was was a diss, and I felt I should be helping other people gain confidence who are in my position also. So I was thinking about the past and what some staff and people used to say to me, they used to tell me to 'keep dreaming' but in the condescending way. So then I thought why can't that same message be flipped on its head and that's where there inspiration came from. I also wanted to make the song quite raw because it is aimed at younger people and is for those in care and not in it, for anyone that has suffered and finds it hard to go on".
'Keep Dreaming' sends a positive message to all those preparing to leave care, and a salutary one to professionals working with them. We all have dreams we want to follow, and children in care are no different. As professionals we should be advocating strongly for those we have the privilege to look after, and going the extra mile for them. With boxes to tick and budgets to be cut, it isn't always easy to be that person who goes the extra mile and remember what our dreams were when we first set out on our careers.
Care leavers are not an homogenous group, and many of those leaving care experience extra difficulties, as young disabled care leavers, care leavers from ethnic minorities, care leavers with mental health problems and care leavers who entered the country as unaccompanied minors. National Care Leavers' Week this year has as its focus identity. The individuality and unique identity of every care leaver is something to be celebrated and supported. Every care leaver has the right to be proud of the person she/he is going to turn out to be, and to expect that those charged with their care will encourage them to fulfil their aspirations and 'keep dreaming' on their behalf. This is an increasingly hard challenge for us to face in difficult economic times. Let's face that challenge and make a real difference for all our care leavers. Keep Dreaming! And we look forward to welcoming you to National Care Leavers' Events in 2010.
[thanks to Kyle for allowing us to use his song and his title during National Care Leavers' Week]
http://kayjaye15.bandzoogle.com/fr_home.cfm
Read a full interview with Kay.Jaye here
