Episode 48: Starting Work - Being a young carer

Many young people support a family member without ever using the word “carer.” In this episode, Saman talks with Jason from Invictus Wellbeing about what it means to be a young carer and how to balance caring responsibilities with college, work and your own ambitions.

They explore:

• How to recognise you are a young carer even when it just feels “normal”
• The impact of stress, tiredness and guilt on education, work and mental health
• Why caring and ambition can exist together
• Practical strategies for managing time, planning next steps and being honest with employers
• How schools, colleges and workplaces can be more carer friendly
• Ways to advocate for yourself, know your rights and stay connected to your own dreams

If you are a young carer or you support young carers, this conversation offers validation, language to describe your situation, and practical ideas you can use straight away.

Support and further information

If anything in this episode resonates with you, you might find these resources helpful:

• Carers Trust - Support for young carers (UK):https://carers.org
• The Children’s Society - Young Carers:https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/our-work/young-carers
• YoungMinds - Mental health support for young people:https://www.youngminds.org.uk
• NHS - Support and rights for carers (England):https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/support-and-benefits-for-carers

This project is a part of Wellness Work programme funded by One Community Foundation Kirklees https://one-community.org.uk/ and is being delivered in partnership with TSL Kirklees https://tslkirklees.org.uk/ and Kirklees Council https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/default.aspx.  

Wellness Works Small Grants is part of Healthy Working Life, a joint programme of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board. Healthy Working Life aims to deliver the region’s work and health plan and its vision for West Yorkshire to have the healthiest residents and workforce in England by 2040.

 

Don't forget to subscribe for new episodes or sign up to the Destination information & opportunities web-app for teens and young adults at www.destination.org.uk where you can find loads of useful life-benefiting content for young people.    

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Special thanks to Locala and Kirklees College for supporting this episode, Jimi for editing and Youth Social www.youthsocial.co.uk for pulling everything together.

Finally special thanks for Paul A Jackson for the music.