PRE-TEEN DIGITAL PLATFORM TOTALLYTWEEN SUPPORTS VOICE IN A MILLION AND HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF SPEEDING UP UK ADOPTION

TotallyTween www.totallytween.co.uk the fast-growing digital platform for pre-teens is helping to raise awareness of Voice in a Million (VIAM), the musical initiative launched in 2009 to highlight the plight of children in care around the world and the issues facing prospective adoptive parents. During National Adoption Week, Prime Minister David Cameron recently stated that he wants to dramatically speed up the movement of children from the care system into adoptive families. Voice in a Million’s next arena show will take place in Hull on 2^nd/3^rd December and will shine a light on the need for The PM’s words to translate into action.

TotallyTween will support Voice in a Million via coverage on it’s platform, following rehearsals and workshops prior to the concerts, with two young Roving Reporters filming the rehearsals and interviewing the school children involved. TotallyTween will also attend the scheduled Wembley Arena concert in March 2016. A number of news stories and videos have already appeared on www.totallytween.co.uk (https://www.totallytween.co.uk/mag/2015/october/viam/)

Voice in a Million was founded by husband and wife, Robert and Jo Garofalo who have first-hand experience of the setbacks and endless red-tape in the UK adoption system. The genesis of the idea for VIAM came from Robert when he was producing a televised concert with his friend, the musician Rick Wakeman. Wakeman dedicated a piece he’d written to Robert and Jo’s adopted son Samuel and Robert subsequently had the idea for a musical show that was themed to tell the story of other less fortunate children across the world who hadn’t found adoptive parents. VIAM was launched and the first show took place at London’s O2 Arena in January 2010 with 5,000 children appearing. Since then, VIAM has been collaborating with schools across the UK and staging arena shows every year.

TotallyTween was founded by marketing specialist and former BBC Worldwide board member Clare Vincent, and her business partner Gina Walter, a former London Stock Exchange marketing executive. The digital platform was launched in March 2015 as the go-to source for information and a forum for the exchange of ideas on trends, fashion, film, music, books and social issues for children of 12 and under.

Commenting on TotallyTween’s support for VIAM, Clare Vincent and Gina Walter said, “We absolutely support the work and dedication given to this cause by Jo and Robert in raising awareness for the need to place children in loving homes as soon as possible, enabling them to truly begin life with their forever family.”

VIAM’s Jo Garofalo said “We are delighted that TotallyTween are behind the Voice in a Million project, their website targets the next generation and together we are helping children understand the complexities of adoption and also understand about children that are now in a forever family but not necessarily one they perhaps had understood previously. In today’s world we have very many different family groups, adopted families are just one. We at VIAM promote the fact that all children should have a loving family and that family can be made up of friends, grandparents, aunties, uncles, foster carers or adoptive parents, as long as there is LOVE!”

Support for VIAM also includes:

Piers Morgan – “Every child needs a loving family. If Voice in a Million results in just one child finding a new mum and dad and a secure family environment, it will be worth its weight in gold. It’s projects like this that can really make a difference”

Sir Elton John – “I fully support the ‘Voice in a Million’ project; and wish you the very best of luck for your events”