MAKING TIME FOR YOUNG CARERS ON YCAD 2023

“MY anxiety has calmed.”

YCAD Participant
Young Carers in Scotland created banners campaigning for their voices to be heard in our inspired:arts Scotland visual arts project.

There are estimated to be around 800,000 young carers aged 11-16 in the UK. That’s enough to fill Wembley Stadium almost 9 times.  

13,000 young carers care for a loved one for up to 50 hours a week. They spend their time shopping, cooking, cleaning, collecting prescriptions, administering medication and more to support their loved ones. Between juggling their intensive caring role with schoolwork and exams, they have little time left for themselves.

That’s why it is vital that we make time for young carers, and Create’s projects do exactly that.

our ycad 2023 projects

ycad scotland visual art
Young Carers working on their visual art projects

During February half term, we ran creative projects across the four nations, in partnership with Carers Trust for the third year running. Our projects took place in Dumfries and Galloway, Swansea, Wigan and Belfast, our first ever project in Northern Ireland – upskilling young carers in filmmaking, 3D model making, photography and visual art.

Each project was led by our professional artists and focused on YCAD’s 2023 theme, “make time for young carers”. Participants created artwork that reflected this message, including films that show the reality of being a young carer, and banners that campaigned to make their voices heard. This time spent being creative together gave these exceptional young people time away from their responsibilities, allowing them to prioritise their own wellbeing, learn new skills, boost their self-confidence and build new relationships. At the end of the project, young carer Alexandra said “I feel more connected with others because I made lots of friends.”

The toll of caring

By definition, a young carer is “someone under the age of 18 who looks after a family member or friend who has a physical or mental health condition, or misuses drugs or alcohol”. Young Carers Action Day is a time to celebrate young carers, but more crucially, it’s a time to support them, because it is a role that can take its toll. Research conducted by Carers Trust for its new 2023 report “Being a Young Carer is Not a Choice” found that:

56% of young carers and young adult carers said the time they spend caring has increased in the last year.

47% now care for more people than they used to.

44% ‘always’ or ‘usually’ feel stressed because of their caring role.

40% said caring ‘always’ or ‘usually’ affects how much time they can spend with their friends.

56% said the cost-of-living crisis is either ‘always’ or ‘usually’ affecting them and their family.

It’s undeniable that times are tough for young carers. At Create, our projects are designed to provide them with time to be themselves away from the challenges they face.

Jacob, a participant on our inspired:arts Northern Ireland YCAD project, said: “As a young carer, my life is a bit different to other young people my age. My peers aren’t caring for someone whereas I spend my time helping others. It can limit the time I have to do other things. Doing something creative felt enjoyable. I get the chance to be creative at school, in drama or art class, but this felt different. It felt more immersive. I think it’s important to be creative because it helps your brain stay awake.”

Grace, who took part in our YCAD project in Wigan, said: “[During the project] we’ve all used our creative minds instead of being busy and helping out at home. We’ve had some free time and done a lot of different activities, some involving paper, clay and spray. I’ve really enjoyed them all.”

young carers action day scotland

the young carers action day showcase 2023

During the online showcase, carers from Belfast, Dumfries and Galloway, Swansea and Wigan & Leigh shared the artwork they created with an audience of parents and guardians, staff and Trustees from Carers Trust, Create and their carer services, and other invited guests. Create CEO Nicky Goulder talked about the challenges young carers face and the power of creativity in helping reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness. Carers Trust Trustee Natasha Mutch-Vidal then shared findings from Carers Trust’s newly-published report, “Being a Young Carer is Not a Choice”.

“It’s always inspirational to see the warmth and enthusiasm participants bring to our workshops.”

Nicky Goulder, create founding CEO

Reflecting on this year’s YCAD celebrations, Nicky Goulder, our Founding CEO, said: “We are delighted to partner with Carers Trust again for Young Carers Action Day, ensuring that young carers’ voices and creativity are centre-stage. Together, we have run projects across the four nations, including Create’s first ever project in Northern Ireland. Four groups of young carers have been empowered and upskilled through filmmaking, 3D model making, photography and visual art, giving them time away from their caring responsibilities. It’s always inspirational to see the warmth and enthusiasm participants bring to our workshops, and I have been particularly moved to see how this year’s YCAD theme, “making time for young carers”, resonated with each of them. What could be more important. I am delighted by the pieces they have created and the passion they have shown!”

Carers Trusts’ Head of Young Carers and Young Adult Carers Vicky Morgan said: “We’re excited to partner again with Create for YCAD 2023. This partnership is all about providing young carers with a much-needed break, a chance to express themselves creatively and learn new skills working alongside professional artists. Young Carers have created art linked to the theme of YCAD this year which is ‘make time for young carers’ and the showcase event held on Young Carers Action Day is a platform for them to share what’s important to them and ‘what make time for young carers’ means to them.”

WATCH THE SHOWCASE

hear from our participants

young carers action day northern ireland filmmaking
young carers action day northern ireland filmmaking

MEET JACOB

Hear from young carer Jacob (12), who shared his experience on our inspired:arts Northern Ireland filmmaking project for YCAD 2023.

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