Fun in the sun tackles loneliness among young carers

Sunday 25 August 2019

Youngsters who dedicate their free time to caring for loved ones have been able to enjoy activities ranging from watersports to abseiling for free, as part of a new project aiming to tackle the isolation they can face.

Launched by the Jersey Youth Service, ‘My Time Summer Programme’ enables young carers to meet like-minded young islanders and receive support but also gives them the opportunity to play, have fun and make new friends - something that can be difficult in their unique situation.

The programme provides free weekly activity sessions for young carers aged between eight and 18 years old throughout the summer holidays. 

Pictured: The young carers recently had a fun day out which included climbing, pizza and arcade games.

“Young carers can be particularly isolated during the summer holidays as they are not attending school or seeing their peers on a daily basis. This may also result in them having further responsibilities in their caring role due to spending more time at home," Ciaran Doherty, Youth Worker at Jersey Youth Service, explained. 

“There are lots of barriers for young carers when it comes to accessing opportunities that other young people would generally have access to during summer. This programme looks to provide those opportunities for young carers by reducing the barriers they face such as cost, time and transport.”

The programme was sponsored by LV Care Group, through the Jersey Support Youth Charitable Trust, through a £13,040.

Pictured: LV Care Group donated £13,040 to support the 'My Time' project.

Part of the donation will also go towards the ‘My Time’ project’s weekly activities, awareness sessions and residential trips.

It will also allow the Jersey Support Youth Charitable Trust to support the Jersey Youth Service in the expansion of its services, as it seeks to offer more support to local young carers.

"We’re extremely grateful to LV Care Group for this funding which allows Jersey Support Youth Charitable Trust to provide further support to Jersey Youth Service which will be used to improve services and quality of life for young carers in Jersey," Jan Kenny, Trustee of Jersey Support Youth Charitable Trust, said.

Pictured: Earlier this month, the young carers met up for a fun day out at Valley Adventure Centre.

Describing carers' roles as "difficult yet vital and rewarding", LV CEO Nick Bettany commented: “Knowing how many children carry the huge responsibility of caring for someone at such a young age really resonated with us.

"As a local community care group, we want to support the Jersey Support Youth Charitable Trust in its mission to give young carers time out of their caring role so they can enjoy being a child this summer.”