On Friday 21st July a young carer attending a local school in Ipswich took part in the school’s speech contest and wrote about their experience of being a young carer. All year 8 and 9 classes have been planning, writing and delivering speeches to their classmates leading up to the final which was judged by the Headteacher and local politician Jack Abbott on Friday 21st July. The young carer was successfully chosen as the school’s best speech and won an award for their amazing hard work.
We would like to join the school in congratulating this young person in the bravery and courage they displayed in telling their own story which in part has also raised great awareness of young carers in the school. We would also like to thank supporting staff, Young Carers Lead and The Headteacher for overseeing the young carer support at the school and doing a tremendous job at the identification and awareness raising amongst students and staff, a well-deserved Gold status on their Young Carers School’s Award.
Please read the winning speech below
You’ve heard of a young carer right? But do you actually understand the life of a young carer?
Did you know there are 166,000 registered young carers in the UK but there are still thousands that go under the radar?
I’ve been a registered young carer (YC) since 2021 for my mum and my little brother. Most people my age has a swiftly going life, not saying perfect but swiftly, but as a young carer our life doesn’t go as easy. We have to worry about the “adult worries” of the world like cooking cleaning doing lots of work. The absence from our own childhood we have as we have a role to take care of the people who should primarily take care of us. Quiet often the only free time we get is the moment we leave the house for school and when we get back. But our brains are still occupied with stuff like, What if someone needs us and we aren’t there? What if our siblings get in trouble? All the stuff we have to do when we get home? The stress of school added onto the stress of our home life.
Which brings me on to my next topic: the stress of school. Merely the stress of homework. Yes, no one really likes going to school in in morning or the homework, but as young carers we dread it. Our day to day schedule crossed with taking care of people crossed with having our own time crossed with socialising and we have to do homework on top of that. We find it impossible to fit it in as for example this is how my life goes at home, after school and mums had a long so shes in pain… “can you cook the dinner” “yes mum” “can you help me I’m in pain” “yeah of course” “can you sort out your brothers they’re being annoying, too loud, their fighting”. The answer always has to be yes as mums had a long day.
Being a young carer is overwhelming, mindhurtingly over whelming.
So my main message to you is respect young carers, no matter how long they’ve been a young carer for, how old they are, how many people they care for, no matter how serious or easy you think their life is as you will never really know.
So my last message to you that I want you to think about is… we are just adolescents taking on an adult’s job, could you do it? Thank you for listening.
