Have you ever felt like you don't belong anywhere?

Care to Dance gives young people and children with experience in care the opportunity to express themselves through dance in a safe and inclusive environment. Young people are brought together as a community to share their love of dance and to make lasting friendships.?

Beth Vecchione is the director of Care to Dance and a qualified social worker. Beth is from the Northeast where she still lives. She runs Care to Dance workshops both in the Northeast and in London, and she’s looking to grow the enterprise nationally.??

Beth’s unique combination of experience as a dance teacher and a social worker means she understands the kinds of issues young people with care experience face. She’s passionate about improving their mental wellbeing and educational outcomes through dance.??

This month we had the privilege to chat to Beth about how she started the programme and the benefits for young people. Care to Dance is a synergy between dance and social work that I think is rather special.??

?How does Care to Dance support children and young people in care??

?We bring young people together in a safe space to share their love for dance, creatively express themselves and build meaningful and lasting relationships.??

Care to Dance is aimed to promote a feeling of belonging and a sense of identity. It’s so lovely to see the young people coming together and building those friendships. Some of our young people have been dancing together since we started in 2019.?

We organise social events outside the dance studio like walking on the beach, trampolining, going to the theatre and watching dance performances. This is a time for young people to just come together, have a good time and sometimes learn more about dance.?

We also support leadership through our leadership qualifications. We are really so passionate about using dance and creative expression to open up the world for young people and support them in all kinds of different ways.?

What motivated you to start Care to Dance??

When I was growing up, I always liked dance and sport in general. For me it was a really positive focus, and it was that sense of belonging you feel within a dance group. I always had a vision that dance could support young people in some way.??

That idea came into focus when I qualified as a social worker because young people talked about wanting to join a different group or try something new, but they felt they didn’t have the confidence to do that. Some classes can feel quite daunting and intimidating.??

I pictured an inclusive environment where young people who shared similar experiences could come together, share their love of dance, and build confidence in a safe space. There is no right way to dance. Everyone has a different style and it’s amazing!?

?How does the Care to Dance programme work??

?Care to Dance holds 12 weeks of dance workshops which are 90mins every week. It starts with young people coming together. We introduce the dancing we are going to do and get to know each other. We support young people to do different dance routines and there’s time to do solos. Young people love solo time because I think that’s the space to really just be free.??

In the programme we have time for all kinds of different social events. We’re watching Diversity next year, which I’m super-excited about!??

There’s a celebration event at the end of the twelve weeks, which is a performance where the young people can invite anybody they want to watch and celebrate with them. They perform the routines they’ve learnt and get their rewards.??

I really love the celebration event because the journey the young people come on over the twelve weeks is incredible. I’m just thinking of one person who came to us really nervous. It took four weeks for her to dance because she was so nervous. Now she’s an ambassador for Care to Dance performing solos in front of hundreds of people. That’s inspirational!?

How does Care to Dance support mental wellbeing??

When a young person says, “I’ve had a rubbish day, but I’m going to dance it off” it gives them a real and positive focus to let it all out in a way that they love.??

Then there’s the friendships they make along the way. We’ve had young people refer to the dance group as the dance family and things like that, which I love. We’re always thinking about how we can continue to support those relationships.?

I remember going to dance class as a young person myself and I was nervous. But when you leave that dance class you feel a sense of achievement and a real buzz because you’ve had a great time and you’ve grasped a new routine or tried a solo, whatever it might be.?

Then there’s the dance leadership qualifications we offer. Young people have the chance to support new young people coming to our classes because they know how it feels coming in for the first time. They get to show their amazing leadership skills and then have a certificate as evidence for that.??

We are now employing young people who started dancing with us in 2019 to support our classes. I am so excited because they’re incredible.?

Can you tell us more about the leadership programme??

Yes, it’s a 12-month course. Some people who go on the course might have completed our 12-week dance programme, but they might not have done. We run weekly dance classes as part of the programme, just like with the 12-week course. At the moment we have one class for under 12s and one for over 12s.??

Alongside the dance classes we do leadership level one and leadership level two courses, which are workshops. As part of their qualifications the young people support classes and there are paid mentor roles where they can share their expertise and passion for dance. Like the 12-week course there are also lots of social events and celebration events.?

I’m just thinking of one person in particular who we have employed. She’s been inspired by Care to Dance and really wants to start her own social enterprise after she’s finished her studies. She’s already thinking about how she can support young people in another country through dance.??

What was your journey like setting up Care to Dance??

It’s been incredible. I’ve loved the development of it and learning all the different things. The biggest obstacle was learning the business side of it. Things like the different policies you need in place, where to get funding and the legal structures. So, I reached out to other organisations who were super helpful and people in the social enterprise community. Everyone was so happy to help and to offer support and advice.??

It can feel quite daunting when you don’t know how to put an idea into reality, but it’s fine once you have the tools.??

Building something from an idea that came when I was quite young and really started to form when I was a social worker has been amazing. The impact you can have just from having an idea in your head can be huge.?

What are your hopes for Care to Dance??

We want to grow nationally so we can provide as many opportunities as possible to bring young people together to dance, no matter where they are in the country.??

To achieve this, we want to reach out to anybody who is interested in Care to Dance and would like to collaborate with us to grow and continue to build an amazing community of young people.?

Can you help Care to Dance support children and young people in care??

?Care to Dance has a real and positive impact on young people’s lives. Beth would like the programme to reach more young people and children with experience in care across the UK.??

Every young person is unique, so it is important that there is a range of social opportunities available for them to choose from – and dance is a vital platform to offer. Through Care to Dance, children can socialise and express themselves freely in an inclusive and supportive environment.??

If you are a practitioner within social care or children’s services who would like to collaborate with Care to Dance, please find out more on their website: www.caretodance.co.uk or email [email protected]?

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