Young carers in Jersey will be supported this summer with fun activities to tackle isolation as part of the Jersey Youth Service initiative ‘My Time Summer Programme’ sponsored by LV Care Group through Jersey Support Youth Charitable Trust.
The ‘My Time’ project has been introduced in a bid to provide extra support for local, young carers and to tackle some of the difficulties they experience. It enables young carers with a space to meet like-minded young Islanders, receive support and more importantly give them the opportunity to play, have fun and make new friends, which can be difficult to do in their unique situation.
The summer programme provides free weekly activity sessions for young carers aged between eight and 18 years old throughout the summer holidays. The programme of activities will range from numerous water sports, abseiling and trips to local attractions.
LV Care Group has donated £13,040 to support the ‘My Time’ project’s weekly activities, awareness sessions, residential trips, as well as the summer programme. The funding provided by LV allows the Jersey Support Youth Charitable Trust to further support the Jersey Youth Service to expand its services and offer further support to young carers in the island.
Ciaran Doherty, Youth Worker at Jersey Youth Service, said: “Young carers can be particularly isolated during the summer holidays as they are not attending school or seeing their peers on a daily basis. This may also result in them having further responsibilities in their caring role due to spending more time at home.
“There are lots of barriers for young carers when it comes to accessing opportunities that other young people would generally have access to during summer. This programme looks to provide those opportunities for young carers by reducing the barriers they face such as cost, time and transport.”
Jan Kenny, Trustee of Jersey Support Youth Charitable Trust, said: “We’re extremely grateful to LV Care Group for this funding which allows Jersey Support Youth Charitable Trust to provide further support to Jersey Youth Service which will be used to improve services and quality of life for young carers in Jersey.”
LV Care Group’s Chief Executive Officer, Nick Bettany, said: “At LV, we understand the importance of having carers in the community which is a difficult yet vital and rewarding role. Knowing how many children carry the huge responsibility of caring for someone at such a young age really resonated with us. As a local community care group, we want to support the Jersey Support Youth Charitable Trust in its mission to give young carers time out of their caring role so they can enjoy being a child this summer.”
