Young carers in Lambeth aged 12 to 18 have been working with multi-arts project Create.
The programme, designed to give them social and creative time away from their caring responsibilities, took place over the school half-term. The young people worked with poet Simon Mole exploring the spoken word and creative writing around the themes of “community”, “the future” and “love”.
The connect:create programme began in April and the young carers have created music with musician Paul Griffiths, short films with filmmaker Aoife Twomey and photographs with photographer Adele Watts.
Lambeth Young Carers say: “There are over 700,000 young carers in Britain who on average take on 17 hours of caring responsibilities per week. School holidays can be a difficult time for young carers – for many, without school’s daily routine, increased time at home equates to an increase in time caring for a relative.”
At the end of the creative writing project, the young carers performed their pieces.
Create’s chief executive, Nicky Goulder, said: “Participating in creative activities is a great way of expressing yourself and socialising. School holidays can be a period of heightened responsibility for young carers and it’s important for wellbeing that respite is found away from their duties as carers. Thanks to our partnership with Deutsche Bank, our connect:create programme offers an environment for self-expression, socialising, building confidence and having fun. I’ve loved seeing the results of their collaborative work!”
An animation of Create’s work with young carers produced by Bournemouth University film students won the Kingston Smith 2016 Creative Vision awards.
