I am a young carer
Am I a young carer?
Are you a young person looking after another family member, friend and/or a person closely associated with you who has extra needs, for example an illness, disability or addiction and who would struggle without your support? We call it caring.
Caring for someone may include activities like:
- Staying in the house a lot to be there for them
- Helping them to get up, get washed or dressed, or helping with toileting
- Doing lots of the household chores like shopping, cleaning and cooking
- Looking after younger brothers and sisters
- Providing emotional support or a shoulder to cry on
- Keeping a close eye out to make sure everything is OK
- Feeling worried about the wellbeing of your family member when you’re not there
The Me-We Project in simple terms
The ME-WE Project started in January 2018 and finished in June 2021. The Project investigated:
- What young carers’ preferences and needs are
- How young carers are supported in 6 States (Sweden, United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy and Slovenia)
- How good practices implemented elsewhere can be adapted to different national contexts
Based on this information, it was decided to create a support intervention in terms of group sessions and a mobile app for young carers, which a number of adolescent young carers (15-17 years) from each of the 6 States participated in. The content of the support intervention was decided by groups (Blended Learning Networks) gathering together young carers and all the people that gravitate around them: teachers, other school staff, families, health professionals, social services, youth services.
The aim of the support intervention is to improve the mental health of adolescent young carers and move them from vulnerability to growth.
I am a young carer living in either the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovenia, Italy, or the Netherlands and I want to be involved in ME-WE.
I am a young carer living in other States and I want to contribute to let young carers’ voice be heard.
Please contact the national project leader to discuss the best way to be involved in ME-WE. For instance, you could participate in blended learning networks in partner countries and help with post project activities.
By sharing your experience, you can help other people understand what life is like for you and can potentially improve the lives of other young people who provide care!
You can Subscribe to the mailing list and follow us on Twitter. In this way, you’ll be informed about the latest developments on young carers and the Project updates. You can also find on our website a booklet for adolescent young carers (available in 6 languages) with practical information and tips and tools to communicate with peers and educational, health and social care professionals.
You can get involved at EU level, by joining the Eurocarers Young Carers Working Group, a platform which brings together 23 young carers and former young carers from 10 European States and Australia. Interested in helping young carers’ voice to be heard across Europe? Contact Eurocarers.
I am a professional
If you are a professional from the education, social, health, care, youth, NGO field, or a policymaker or a journalist and you want to improve the wellbeing of young carers across Europe, you can!
If you live in either the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovenia, Italy, or the Netherlands, please contact the national project leader to see how you can be involved.
If you aren’t from one of these countries, please contact Eurocarers for an involvement at EU level.
- Share the link to the Project website and let all the resources and News circulate.
- Subscribe to our mailing list to be updated about the latest developments of the Me-We Project and on young carers in general. We will inform you when we publish relevant resources, such as briefings and manuals.
- Follow us on Twitter (#youngcarers; #ME_We)
- If you have a good practice to share or any comments, please contact us.
On behalf of young carers, thank you!