From Punk Rocker to Social Change maker
I’ve worked in social care for 30 years. As a support worker, music facilitator, registered manager and then specialising in co-production and ways to involve people in shaping services and policy.
I also used to crank out the bass in punk band Heavy Load (subjects of one of The Guardian’s top music docs ever!), playing Glastonbury, New York, Berlin and touring the UK. We had a wild ride and I’ve got some good stories to tell from those days.
Stay Up Late: Fighting for the right to party
I founded the charity Stay Up Late following the frustration we met in Heavy Load and watching our audiences leave before we got on stage. The beginnings of the campaign and the launch are also in the Heavy Load movie. (Did I mention Heavy Load are in a movie?!).
The film meant we took the fight for the right for people with learning disabilities to party to a massive audience and started a movement. Our belief was that if you can’t stay up late and enjoy an active social life you may not get good support around other parts of your life.
Stay Up Late is all about putting people with learning disabilities front and centre of their own lives.
Gig Buddies: A Rockstar Project
In 2013 I started the Gig Buddies project in Brighton and Hove. A simple idea to connect music fans with learning disabilities with volunteers who share the same passions.
It’s become a massive success, licensed in over 20 locations across 8 countries! I’ll share some of the things I’ve learned about social franchising and other social innovations.
More Than Social Care, It’s Ordinary Life
I believe social care can have the power to transform peoples’ lives. But we need to stop thinking about it as a ‘thing’ or a place that people go to. Social care needs to be thought of as whatever you need to support you to lead the life you want.
I’ll share some stories that help illustrate this in different ways. Our hope at Stay Up Late is that we can work towards making “ordinary” lives a reality for everyone.
Read –
Join the Conversation – release your inner punk
This blog is about sharing experiences, sparking ideas, and making a positive difference in our communities.
If you’ve got stories that show that ‘punk’ spirit of people seeing a problem and doing something about it do get in touch and share your stories.
I hope you find these stories of social innovation, changing cultures and attitudes in social care and the weird Heavy Load moments helpful, or at least a little amusing.
And maybe it may help you discover your own inner change-maker.
Find out more
Watch my TedX Brighton talk to find out more about the work of Stay Up Late and the Gig Buddies project. I think I might mention that Heavy Load movie too!
Read next – Culture Shifts in Social Care: A Radical And Free Approach
