When you stand by my side (by Bury's Children in Care Council)
When I was under attack,
You stood in front of me.
When I didn't have a voice,
You made sure they all could hear.
I don't want to be smothered,
I don't need you to always hold my hand,
But I do hope you will be there,
When I find it hard to stand,
The only one who ever cared
Enough to challenge others.
You're strong when I am weak,
You're brave when I need courage,
When everything is dark,
And my shoulders are weighed down,
Please light the path ahead,
So I can share this load around.
When hateful words surround me,
Shield me with your strength.
Your words can pierce like a spear,
My suffering comes to an end.
The worst thing anyone can do,
When hatred fills the air,
Is to do nothing at all,
To show you do not care.
When you stand by my side,
I am greater than just me.
When you stand by my side,
Our future I can see.
When I came into care
I was just five,
They pulled up in my drive,
My feelings I can't hide,
I felt so deprived.
They came up to the door,
Around half past four,
Filled with pain,
As it started to rain.
It rained with fear,
A single tear,
I started to hear,
Women were here.
They were new faces.
At home
It has been almost 11 years,
I have shed a few tears,
But now I'm at home,
I no longer feel alone.
I have now found my place,
Negatives have been erased,
And I am finally finding my way.
Away from the fear,
No need to hear,
All the pain in my heart,
The happiness can now start.
I have been in this place for a while now,
I am a happy child, I don't want to leave,
They keep me safe,
They keep me warm and now I can say,
I finally feel at home.
They moved me to two different places,
I was confused,
My feelings were misused.
I was un-amused,
With the people who disapproved,
They took me away from my mum,
And now I have no fun.
I am happy where I am
I was in my class,
And I was called out,
I didn't know what
It was about.
So I followed my teacher,
To her room,
I felt so scared,
I wanted to go home.
I went to my first foster home...
It didn't work out,
So I had to go to a new placement
And I am still there a year and a half later.
I am happy where I am.
Alone (written by Rhiannon)
Seeing their faces,
Unfamiliar, strange faces,
Coming through those school gates,
With a big, black briefcase in one hand.
I felt young, vulnerable,
Anxious and worried,
What would happen next
I wondered...
We pulled up at a strange house,
It was dark, rainy
And I was feeling on edge.
I didn't want to go in,
I was scared and afraid of
What was happening next.
It felt homely at first,
Full of happiness and warmth.
I was there for a few weeks more,
Things started to change,
I didn't feel at home anymore,
Treated differently,
Alone.
But what do we know? (by young people in Bury )
I know equality is not just a game, it doesn't mean treating all people the same.
Learn from my trails and all i have faced, Help me help others it wont go to waste.
Some of us need extra care as we go, So ask how to help don't presume that you know.
But what do we know?
They say we need to look after our own, We say no one should ever be alone.
They say that money is too tight to spend, We say that suffering must come to an end.
But what do we know?
I want a future where everyone has a home, I want a world where no one is alone.
Why are some having to live on pure charity, While others have so much they have lost all their clarity?
But what do we know?
You want us to learn how to boldly speak out, But no one is listening or hearing us shout.
You say we're the future with the world at our feet, But so often all that we feel is defeat.