A series of wellbeing breaks, including kayaking, wild forest outdoor activities including axe throwing, and meals out will be on offer for young adult carers aged between 18 and 25 in Essex as part of a new project.
Funded by the FSJ charity, the project will support twenty-five young adult carers to take some time away from their daily caring responsibilities, helping them to try new activities that; those without a caring role often enjoy.
The wellbeing breaks, chosen by young adult carers already accessing our support, will help them to create happy memories, socialise, relax, and give them a pocket of freedom without worrying about the impact on their household budget. The breaks will also help young adult carers to spend time with other carers of a similar age, to share experiences and build positive peer networks.
Charlotte, 22, a young adult carer known to Carers First, says,
“Being a carer takes up so much of your time and energy, as well as being mentally draining, so we need a break sometimes”.
From experience, we know that young adult carers face conflicting challenges that impact on their education, work, aspirations, and decision making as they approach adulthood. We also know that these respite activities can be a gateway for them to access our wider support and that they attract new young adult carers into our services.
In 2022-23, 79% of carers reported an improvement in their lives because of the support they received from Carers First and 90% of young adult carers agreed that ‘Carers First listened to me and did something’.
National research from Carers Trust (2023) also shows that: 56% of young adult carers are spending more time caring than last year; and 40% said caring affects how much time they can spend with friends and enjoying life outside of their caring role. This shows that this support is vital to ensure young adult carers can have some quality time for themselves to aid well mental health.
Carers First currently delivers a fortnightly on-line Chill ’n’ Chat group for those aged 18 – 25 years, attended by a core of eight young adult carers from Essex. - The group will also benefit from new resources, including games and arts and crafts. Food vouchers will be on offer for those who can’t attend the wellbeing breaks to ensure the funding reaches those who would otherwise miss out.
This is the fourth grant awarded to Carers First by the FSJ charity. Previous grants have helped us to develop our volunteering programme, digital devices for staff alongside a contribution to our new programmes of support.
Veronica Sadowsky, Essex Service Manager says:
“We are excited to be able to offer these wellbeing breaks to our young adult carers in Essex and are very grateful to the FSJ Trust for their continued support.
Being able to offer these types of breaks will mean that more young people will be able to take that much needed time away from caring, enabling them to have some time enjoying activities they might otherwise not get the chance to enjoy.”
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