About This Site

 

This site is about empowering young people to campaign for the things they want. It is about creating systemic change together and a platform for all those that are interested in getting things improved for our children in care and care leavers.

 

 

 

Why - " a promise"

 

 

Every time I listen to this song I well up. I do not show my emotions that much as I’ve had to be strong. But this song gets me every time, especially when I watch it on YouTube with the lyrics as above.

 

The reason it gets me is because it was my sisters’ favourite song. She is dead now, eventually murdered by her boyfriend, but before that she was taken into care, abused, and spat out by a social care system that quite frankly let us all down.

 

Hazel was in the newspaper around the time that Cyndi Lauper released this song. I remember the article well “101 Scars” Hazel had used a pseudo name “Danielle” and it was written by an up-and-coming journo Tina Weaver.

 

Hazel would sit in her room cutting herself to pieces, she had scores of little fury animals, everyone was unaware of the hurt, anger and trauma she was going through. No one knew what to do. Every other day we would be at an A&E, with doctors and nurses not understanding what would drive a 14-year-old child to such despair.

 

But every day she would be playing this song in her bedroom. You with the sad eyes – “I can see your true colors shining through” her eyes were sad and they remained that way.

 

I was close to my sister and we planned on changing the care system together so that children would not have to go through what we had to endure, and so that when they left the system they would have better lives and fulfil their dreams, that was our promise to each other, but Hazel was broken, she suffered so much, she lost her children and eventually lost her life.

 

Before she left, we were at a funeral for another who had had a hard life too. “I feel like I will be next.” Hazel said “I do not want to die.” she added. Hazel was not in a good place, but all I could say was “Don’t be silly we are going to change the care system together” She would say “I have the heart you have the brains we can do this together”

 

It’s like the Wizard of Oz – we are on the yellow brick road, we are all different and we all need each other. Reflecting it was the last real conversation we had before the anger got the best of her.

 

But as I listen to this song, I hang on every word and remember what we wanted to do and it gives me strength and connection. This song is timeless and beautiful like a rainbow.

 

We are all hurting but if you are able, please join me and my late sister in our ambition to change the care system.

 

Terry Galloway