I use my voice
I use my voice
Congratulations to Layla, a rising star in young voices, who came second in the Coram Voices competition 2025 with her moving piece, I use my voice.
I use my voice to say:
I am 9 now
I get to wear make-up
I get to be with a perfect mummy of my own
I hope you are happy and never sad
I feel grateful when I see you
I sometimes feel nervous when we meet
I’m glad we never get to argue
When we’re grown up, can we still meet?
With love, my brothers and sister
I use my voice to say:
I am safe
I am happy
I am grateful for the things you are prepared to send me like photos of me when I was little and letters
How do you feel when it is my birthday?
What was I like when I was little?
Did I always have turquoise eyes and like pink and purple?
When I grow up, I want to be a vet, artist, teacher or a builder
I wish I could see you one day
With love, my first Mum and Dad
I use my voice to say:
I am loved by my family now
I am scared of lots of things
I feel grateful to have you
Being adopted is cool because I get to have loads of adventures
One day I’d like to see my first parents for real
Will you help me?
I need help to understand why this really happened
I don’t understand it when you say ‘it was for the best’
I need more details
What do you think it feels like being adopted?
With love, my Mummy
I use my voice to say:
Being adopted is my superpower
I’m great at looking, listening, learning and remembering
I never forget things
I get worried when you ask questions
I don’t know much about when I was little
I bet you have thousands of photos and I have only six
Being adopted can’t stop me
from doing and being who I want to be
I don’t see everyone and everywhere as safe so sometimes I don’t behave well
It takes me time to get to know people
Do you know anyone else who is adopted?
With love, my Class
I use my voice to say:
I wasn’t adopted because I wasn’t wanted
It was for my own safety
There is more importance in me, adopted or not!
Being adopted isn’t an excuse
Being adopted is my story to tell
If you want to know about me, ask me
With love, my World