Story: Diana Mohammed
Sheffield Young Carer’s VOYCE (Views of Young Carers Explained) was awarded a £1 million National Lottery grant as part of the BIG Youth in Focus scheme.
VOYCE was created by young carers to make a difference in young carer’s lives.
The project works with schools and youth organisations to identify and support young carers early on and provide them with services to develop positive mental health for coping with difficult situations.
It also offers training and opportunities to teachers on how to spot young carers early on and to increase their confidence and skills.
Diana Mohammed, a young carer and supporter of the project,writes:
I am thirteen years old and started caring when I was 3 or 4. I found out I was a young carer at the age of ten when a teacher directed me to Sheffield Young Carers. After being there for three years, I got elected for the 0–19 partnership services.
I am really proud of myself but all this could not have been possible if it wasn’t for Sheffield Young Carers. If they did not give me the support I needed I would not be at this stage now and I thank them a lot.
In Sheffield Young Carers, we set up a group called VOYCE. It stands for Views of Young Carers Explained. After less than a year, YMCA Interchange Chilypep and Sheffield Young Carers put a bid in the lottery and have been successful with £1million.
But now the hard bit starts. The money will be spent on counselling, raising awareness, and training young carers to train teachers and doctors how to spot a young carer.
With all the money, we can raise awareness of what young carers face and I feel that finally someone is listening to us.
Carers save the NHS a lot of money by looking after people in their family who need help to bath, get dressed or eat food. Carers don’t get paid for this so they need support.
The project is led by Chilypep with Sheffield Young Carers Project and Interchange in Partnership with the Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Futures and Sheffield NHS.
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