This Young Carers Action Day takes place on 16th March.
It aims to let people know about young carers aged up to 24, their lives and challenges – and to raise awareness of how to support young carers better.
This year’s theme is ‘Protecting Young Carers Futures‘. It highlights the fact that young carers can be disadvantaged in life by their caring role – but also points out that young carers also develop really useful skills through caring, things like time-management, resilience, empathy and confidence.
The young carers who devised the theme want to do two things:
- Get young carers to realise that they have developed really useful skills as carers – skills that employers, and unis and colleges are looking for!
- Get more employers to find about these skills, value them, and actively look out for young carers when recruiting.
In interviews, I have been able to articulate that being a young carer has meant that I am responsible, empathetic, and potentially more mature than my peers, as a young adult. I have developed coping mechanisms to be able to handle pressure, as well as conflicting priorities and time restraints.
Read further down below about how you can identify and record your own skills, to share in applications for further education, and with potential employers.
But first…. more about our amazing new website section…
Our new section for Young Adult Carers
Work and further education are areas where young carers can fall behind and lose out.
Celebrating YCAD we’re proud to launch a new section of our website which outlines all the support and information young adult carers might need.
Main worries
The new section looks in detail at all the key areas of concern for young adult carers. Under ‘what you need to know’ you’ll find information on topics like ‘working and caring’; apprenticeships; housing; further education; planning for the future. The content, including blogs and podcasts, is all co-created with our own young adult carers aged 18-24, who also share their views and experiences.
Being a young carer was really difficult growing up, all I could see was how it impacts my life negatively. As I’ve grown up, I’ve been able to see the huge positives it’s given me, and now they’re starting to outweigh the negatives.
Shouting about your skills
We’d like to shout about the skills our young carers are developing. If you can, write your skills on this card and take a photo of yourself holding it – or just the card – and email it to us. We’ll share it! Or, share it yourself on social media on YCAD, March 16th, #YCAD2021
And, longer term, download this really useful document which helps you identify all the skills you’re developing and how you can use and promote them as you move on in education and for work.
You can also share your individual creations – Carers Trust are looking for young carers to showcase any content you’ve made about being a young carer and your hopes for the future – whether that’s going on to study or getting a job. And read on, to find out more about our new web information on topics like looking for work.
Share your individual creations with Carers Trust
More about the day
To find out more about the day overall, what’s happening nationally and what Action for Carers are doing overall, take a look at our main YCAD page.