NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The most authentic stories typically come from the people who lived the experience. Sometimes a storyteller just needs a little guidance on how to share it. That's the idea behind a partnership that's giving voice to some young people on a particular life journey.
What Serena Vasudeva wants to see is more people talking about the foster care system who actually lived in it.
"So, I went into foster care when I was 16," she said. "People kinda view people who have been through foster care as less or lesser, which is awful."
Giving voice to young people in foster care is exactly the idea behind a partnership between Youth Villages, the Nashville Film Festival, and Moraine Music Group. It's called Living Reel.
"It's so empowering to take your story, control the narrative," said singer Karalyne Winegarner.
Winegarner and Nikkie Christie of the band Flight Attendant are among the music professionals who just wrote a song with some young women in foster care through Youth Villages.
"I was a little nervous about how we were going to have 20 people write a song in one afternoon," Winegarner said. "It was actually the most seamless process. This song came together in under an hour."
"They're such talented lyricists, great melodic ideas," added Christie. "They came up with a really good melody."
The new song is called "Page By Page."
Vasudeva, who did the Living Reel program in a past year, is proud of what the teens created this time.
"I think it's great," she said of the song. "I love it. This year was a killer song."
Vasudeva is today a student at Middle Tennessee State University studying journalism. She's hoping to be a continuing inspiration to young people in foster care and showed her support by attending the red carpet premiere of the Page By Page video at the Nashville Film Festival.
"Songwriting is storytelling," said Christie.
"I'm more proud of this than any song I've written just because I know it's directly helped so many of these young women," added Winegarner.
"I think it means a lot when people hear that song and they're like, 'oh, this is what it's like to be in foster care from people who were in foster care,'" said Vasudeva.
