2021 European Carers Day campaign
Supporting young carers in Europe is not only a matter of human rights, it is a social investment so, let’s make it happen!
Young carers testimonials
Caregiving During Young Adulthood
When my mother’s relatively routine spinal surgery went wrong nearly seventeen years ago, leaving her in chronic pain and unable to work, my brother gave up his life as he knew it. We call him “the sacrificial lamb.” Like Jesus Christ before him, my older brother laid down his entire life at the feet of the people he loves. At 18 years old, my brother was entering his sophomore year in college. He was doing...Continue reading→
I didn’t realise I was a young carer until I was nineteen
My name is Amy and I am fifteen years old. I’m sat on the floor in my room trying to revise for my exams which are next week. Suddenly I hear my mum calling from the bathroom. I wiggle open the old lock on the door and find her sat on the floor feeling a bit unwell and a little upset. I think quickly about what would make me feel better in her situation and...Continue reading→
Thoughts from a Rollercoaster
Living in a home where drugs, criminality, violence and mental health disorders are commonplace can feel like a rollercoaster ride that doesn’t stop. It gets faster and faster with each year that passes and tempting as it sometimes is, jumping off, you think, will end with serious injuries, maybe even death! Regardless, jumping off would mean leaving everyone in the family, not just the one, who in some way or other, seems to be responsible...Continue reading→
We keep everything for ourselves until we explode
When I was a teenager I kept myself back in order to let my parents devote their energy to my sister and not to me. That’s why I had sometimes the feeling that I could not fulfill myself and that I had not enough room. Even when her screams would get me mad I did not say anything even when her tears would expel me I remained silent. It is hard to complain about our...Continue reading→
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Why a European Carers Day
The idea is to coordinate and foster national efforts to raise awareness of carers’ issues under a pan-European structure. We will therefore be able to capitalise on existing actions and enable/facilitate new initiatives among less-advanced parts of Europe.
About young carers
Young carers are children and young people under 18 who provide or intend to provide care, assistance, or support to a family member or a friend, who has a chronic illness, disability, frailty or addiction. They assume a level of responsibility which would usually be associated with an adult.
