https://www.positive.news/lifestyle/the-festival-for-young-carers/
"For most UK festival fans, the last weekend of June is important for one
reason: Glastonbury. But for the country’s young carers, there’s another
let-your-hair-down jamboree held that weekend that leaves lasting memories.
The Young Carers Festival in Hampshire is an annual residential weekend held
exclusively for children aged 11 to 17 with caring responsibilities.
Run by the YMCA Fairthorne Group, in partnership with The Children’s Society,
for attendees “it’s the only weekend that they getaway from their caring
responsibilities”, organiser Karina Barnett tells
Positive News.
Estimates for how many young carers (described as someone aged five to 18 who
helps care for a loved one) there are in the UK vary wildly. The 2021 census
put the figure at around 120,000, but other surveys estimate hundreds of
thousands more.
However, despite there being so many young carers in the UK, the group remains
largely forgotten, unseen by society.
“They don’t get paid for what they do. They don’t get asked to do what they do.
It’s almost like they’re just [brushed] under the carpet,” says Annie Jones, a
former festival attendee. “They put their life on hold to do this.”
That’s where the Young Carers Festival comes in. Over three days, hundreds of
young carers descend upon YMCA Fairthorne Manor, an outdoor activity centre in
the Hampshire countryside, and unpause the childhood that many of them have not
been able to prioritise."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
