Young Carers gathering stories at the Scottish Young Carers Festival

We were so excited to recruit five lovely young carers from Fife Young Carers as Story Gathering Volunteers last week at the Scottish Young Carers Festival.

It was a fantastic day. The young carers interested in sharing their stories was phenomenal. If we were measuring this. We could say this was the most stories ever told at an event in Scotland! How fantastic is that!

The Story Gathering Volunteers gave it their all, mingling with other young carers, prompting them for balanced views on their healthcare experiences as carers and as patients themselves.

The festival had such a chilled vibe, with lots going on to celebrate what young carers do. The Patient Opinion stand was opposite a smoothie making bike- I know, how does that work? Well we all had a shot cycling to power a blender which resulted in us all enjoying a smoothie at the end of the day. There was also some workshops focusing on what matters to carers and what challenges and barriers they face. We thought this was a great idea.

 

Speaking to young carers reminded us of how hard their lives can be. A normal day of waking up and going to school for your average child can be such an effort for a young carer. Some carers told us they have to care for a family member before they can even think about stepping out of the door. This could mean they are late for school or don’t even have time to wash.

When discussing with Young Carers the barriers they faced and how to overcome these in terms of using healthcare services. They told us by simply just talking and listening and making a carer feel part of the patients care, can make such a difference in how the patient and carer feel about their care. These simple changes can take the anxiety out of a situation and impact on care much more positively.

It was great to be a part of such a wonderful celebration.

Click here to read the stories we collected from the young carers at the festival.