Help Jamie Jessop give kids a platform to shine.

Hi My name is Jamie Jessop, I’m 19 years old and I am a full-time dance student.

Those that know me will know how much dance means to me. I’ve been fortunate to get support from my family to be able to pursue my dreams and be able to do what I love the most. But not every child has the opportunities I have had. I know there are many kids out there that have special talents but due to various reasons they haven’t had the opportunity to be involved in the creative arts or they just haven’t been spotted.

I started Dance J Collective in 2015. Initially, our first project was to raise money for a cancer charity In Ireland, they supported my own Grandad through his last weeks of life. We have now raised over £2000 for Tuam Cancer Care and The Lincolnshire Blind Society.

But apart from raising money for charity, I realised that many of my dance group really benefitted from being part of something. Dance has helped me personally through tough times, it’s helped me and some of the other members through grief and loss, it’s helped us to be active and healthy, it’s helped us through mental health issues and isolation, it’s helped us reduce screen time, it’s helped in so many more ways. I want to help more young people to be part of something that will support them through their challenges but also to be part of our exciting projects, to shine their creative light and create memories that will last forever. Theres so many young adults who have spent their whole life going to dance and performing arts classes, they then go through three years of very intense and expensive education courses but then find themselves lost as there's very few jobs and so many people auditioning for parts. They often give up and then they become depressed and their self esteem is affected. I want to give more young people in this situation a chance to continue doing what they love the most.

Another reason I’m so passionate about what I do is to promote dance to boys! I lived in a rural community where boys played football and rugby, dance was for girls and very much this culture remains. I decided that it’s time to break those cultures and try and get more boys to give dance a try. We have a few little budding hip-hop boys in our crew now and it’s great to see them shine on stage.

So why am I raising money?

The truth….. I don’t have an income as I’m a full-time student, I spend every bit of my spare time on growing Dance J Collective so that more kids can be involved in my dance projects. I don’t charge parents for their kids to be part of this, some families can barely feed the kids never mind sending them to classes. I don’t get any funding. I’ve been asked for my group to participate in some great events, but we don’t get paid. So, unfortunately there’s no money to pay for travel, costumes, insurance, to hire dance studios so we can invite kids with talent to learn from us and be part of our performances. I’m happy to give every ounce of my spare time without personal payment but I just need help with the running costs. Any amount of money raised will help.

Once my studies are complete in July 2024, I will hopefully be in a position to make this into a business, but for now, I just need a few quid to help me to keep this going. I just can’t continue if I don’t have the funds.

So please, I know times are hard for many, but if you have a few spare pounds you can donate. Any amount no matter how much will help us continue. I can assure you this money will really help many young kids and teens to:

• Feel part of something that’s inclusive, supportive

• Help reduce isolation and loneliness

• Help Kids stay fit and healthy

• Help reduce screen time

• Help with anxiety, depression and other emotional issues

• Keep kids off the streets and getting into trouble

• Enable kids to express their emotions through dance

• Give kids opportunity to shine, especially those who would not be otherwise able to attend paid classes.

• Help give boys another option of a hobby that’s non-competitive and non-discriminatory. Boys can dance too!

Thank you to everyone who has read this, if you can donate then I will be sure to keep you updated about our projects. I understand if you can’t donate but would be super grateful if you could share this Go Fun Me with others.

Please give Dance J Collective a Follow on Instagram @officialdancejcollective and Facebook @officialdancejcollective

Your support means so much to me and my dancers.

Thank you