In this presentation, Young Carers from all over the world give you an insight into their lives. In their own words, they share how their caring role makes them feel , and what it’s really like being a young carer. The young carers quotes are taken from Victoria Lewin’s various young carers awareness projects, including the PSHE/social education series ‘Who Cares For Us?’ due out later this year.

1. Young Carers
Awareness
presentation.
Illustration by Jeff Phillips.
#YoungCarersAwarenessDay2018

2. In this presentation, Young
Carers from all over the world
give you an insight into their
lives.
In their own words, they share
how their caring role makes
them feel , and what it’s really
like being a young carer.
The young carers quotes are taken from
Victoria Lewin’s various young carers
awareness projects, including the
PSHE/social education series ‘Who Cares
For Us?’ due out later this year.

3. So, what is a young carer?
• A young carer is a child / young person under the age of
25 of age who helps to look after someone at home and
takes responsibility for them.
• It might be a parent, sibling or family member who has a
disability, long term illness, mental health condition or a
problem with drugs or alcohol.

4. • Illness and disability
don’t discriminate.
• They can affect anyone
at anytime in their life.
• When someone becomes
disabled or has a long
term illness then it has
an impact on their
family, and very often
their children become
young carers.

5. Young Carers are just like you, but they have extra responsibilities…that’s
all.
They have the same hopes and dreams that you do.
Please spare a moment this Young Carers Awareness day to learn more
about what it means to be a young carer. Anyone can be affected by long
term illness and disability, and when that happens their family becomes
affected too. Very often their children become young carers, and even if
they don’t have a practical role to play (especially if they’re younger) they
will still be affected psychologically and emotionally.
That’s why it’s important that we take the time to understand what life is
like for young carers, and we offer them compassion and support.

6.  Unpaid carers save the UK
government almost £60 billion
a year!
 A percentage of those carers
are children – young carers!
 It’s a sad fact, but it’s true.
 Without young carers our
countries would crumble, so
isn’t it time we gave them the
respect they deserve, and try to
understand what it’s like to be
a young carer?

9. #YoungCarersAwarenessDay2018
What’s it like
to be a
young carer?

19. “Being a Young Carer carries
a lot of responsibility and is
really tough, but it’s all I’ve
ever known & I wouldn’t
change my family for the
world.”
Jane, Young adult carer, UK.

24. “Watching someone you love in
such agony can take a mental
toll on you.”
Young carer, Age 15, UK.

25. Positives and negatives to being a young carer.
• Positives are that it makes you
more independent, mature and
open minded and it also makes
you appreciate everything more
rather than take it for granted,
also makes you feel proud to be
so helpful.
• Negatives are that it does take
away your freedom to a certain
extent. It also makes you more
prone to anxiety and worry.
• Young Carer, Aged 16, UK.
• Positives: it makes you more
independent, I'm far more
capable of looking after myself at
uni than most of my peers.
• Negatives: you have very little
social life, people your age don't
always understand what your life
is like and may not stay friends
with you, you're constantly
stressed which leads to your
physical and mental health
suffering, sometimes quite
severely.”
Young Adult Carer, Aged 21, UK.

26. Positives and negatives to being a Young Carer.
• There are many positive and
negatives about being a young
Carer. I have had to grow up
quicker and have missed out
on things my friends have been
able to do.
• On the other hand I feel that I
can understand what other
young Carers are going
through and feel good about
myself for helping.
Young Carer, Aged 22, UK.
• “It helps people, and makes me
feel good!”
• “It almost always takes me
away from things I am doing! I
only get frustrated a little bit -
like 1percent of the time.”
• Young carer, Aged 8 ¾ , USA
From Who Cares For Us?

27. Young carers have the same hopes and dreams
that you do…

32. Young carers need to be
supported in education.
Research has proven that when young carers get
the support they need, they can achieve their full
potential.

35. “I have been bullied because I came
from a private school. I moved
because my family circumstances
meant I couldn't be there anymore.
I would love for the bullies to take a
step into my shoes. I don't think that
any person my age would be able to
understand what happens in my life
and why it is so difficult unless they
were a YC like me.
I think bullies would think twice
about what they say if they were to
have that knock into my reality.”
Young Carer, Age 14, UK.
Who Cares For Us.

37. Bully
by Anon
There once was a lad who made me so mad,
He hurt other children with his cruel nasty words,
But he didn’t care – he was ever so bad.
The teachers didn’t have a clue what to do,
He hid it so well, that they never could tell if he was innocent or guilty.
There once was a lad who made me feel sad,
When he turned on me,
With his eyes, full of glee.
My tummy ached – in knots, not knowing what to do,
After all, even the teachers didn’t have a clue!
#Who cares for us?

38. There once was a lad,
Who made me so mad,
He thought it was funny to stare
At my Mum’s missing hair,
Then tease me about it all day.
I froze, not knowing what to say.
My Mum is my hero –
She’s ever so strong.
So, she lost some hair,
Yes, that was true,
But it was nothing compared to what she’d been through.

39. She’d needed an op,
So the infection and pain would stop.
Then she needed another…and another…
My amazing strong mother.
But here was this lad,
Making me so, so mad.
He thought it was cool,
To pick on me in school,
He’d call me names until I’d cry,
Then laugh his head off.
Why, oh why?
He’d push me and shove me,
Saying it was a game,
He’d mess with my head until I thought I was to blame.

40. Maybe I’d looked at him the wrong way
when we went out to play?
Playtime?! What a joke!
How I longed to stay inside, not play.
But no!
“You need fresh air” the teacher would cackle,
Unaware of what I had to tackle.
Painting on a smile,
I tried hard not to cry,
When all I wanted was
to give up and sigh.
He made me feel small, unworthy and ugly,
All I wanted was to be home,
Wrapped up safe and snugly.

41. There once was a lad
Who got more and more bad
He made my life hell,
But I struggled to tell,
He always lied, so what was the point?
He always knew what to say,
To make the teachers look away.
In the end, we moved house, and moved school as well,
Only then did I find the strength to tell.
I’m a young carer and life can be tough,
When my Mum gets so poorly,
It really is rough.
I need support and understanding from people in school,
Not bullies like him getting away with breaking the rules.
By
Anon.

42. Carers Trust Young Carers in schools
programme.
•The carers trust have created a programme for
schools, helping them to support young carers
throughout their education.
•The statistics speak for themselves!

45. When young carers get the
support they need, anything is
possible!

47. “You never know how strong you are ,
until being strong is the only choice you
have.”
Jane, Young carer, UK
http://ayoungcarerslife.wordpress.com

48. ‘Being a carer is never easy. It’s full of ups
and downs; one day, life seems perfect and
another it’s falling apart.
Caring makes us too empathetic, so we feel
everyone’s pain but we feel as though
nobody understands our pain.
Caring makes us feel lost and alone at times,
so I asked my Mum (Victoria Lewin) to write
books to help all young carers, including
myself, realise that we’re not alone and that
although it causes heart ache, being young
carers can make us stronger, smarter and
braver than most kids our age.’
Adele-Caitlin.

49. For more information please go to –
• www.caitlinswish.com
• www.victoria-lewin.com
• https://www.slideshare.net/VTaylorAuthor/caitlins-wish-young-carers-awareness
• https://youtu.be/pDPSE_jV17o
• https://www.slideshare.net/VTaylorAuthor/what-is-ih-and-how-does-it-affect-
families
• http://whocares4us.wixsite.com/website
• https://www.facebook.com/CaitlinsWishOfficial/
• https://carers.org
• http://aacy.org
• http://www.youngcarers.net.au

50. Many thanks to all the young carers & their families who’ve
contributed to this presentation & to the ‘Who cares for us ?’ series.
• Adele-Caitlin, Rob & Vicki
• Paul & Caitlin
• Emilie & Elise
• Evelyn & Becca
• Fiona & Jessica
• Maggie, Sammy, Jenny & Cartier
• Brooke, Jakob & Dona
• Faith, Libby, Haley & Joelle
• Sophie & Lucy
• Chad & Allie
• Jane
• Jessie, Lauren & Marley
• Lauren & Karen
• Ashley
Many thanks to the following people for letting me use their quotes.
• Professor Saul Becker
• Lynne Hill, Children in Wales & Young Carers Network. (Young carers information leaflet 2012)
Many thanks to Pezibear/Pixabay for allowing me to use her photos.

51. Thank you for taking the time to watch this presentation.
We truly appreciate it.
Victoria Lewin.