The Island: Young Carers Action Day

Jane Watson • March 15, 2021

March 16th marks Young Carers Action Day which is a nationwide event that aims to raise awareness of the issues that can affect young carers and the importance of their roles. 


Here at The Island, we play an important role in supporting young carers living in York. Most of the young carers we work with have low self-esteem, struggle with their confidence and experience high levels of anxiety.


To mark #YoungCarersActionDay, we thought we’d share with you some facts about young carers and what you can do to help them through our mentoring services.


What is a young carer?

A young carer is anyone under the age of 18 who helps to care for a family member or friend who has a physical or mental health condition or who misuses drugs or alcohol. In the UK, it is estimated that there are 800,000 young carers – though many young people may not even be aware they are classed as carers.


Young carers often take on responsibilities such as managing the home, collecting medicines, shopping or caring for younger siblings as well as the pressures that young people experience on a day-to-day basis. They could be supporting a parent, sibling, other family member or even a friend of the family in their lives.

What are the challenges of being a young carer?

The extra responsibilities of being a young carer can take their toll on a young person. Although many young carers cope well and find caring for others rewarding, it can be extremely challenging for others.


According to Young Minds, young carers miss an average of 48 days of school due to their responsibilities and 68% of young carers report being bullied as a direct result of their role. The Children’s Society found that 1 in 3 young carers has a mental health issue and 87% of young carers do not receive proper support when moving into adulthood.


Young carers can also develop skills that they could never have learned in school or college. It’s important to remember there can be positive aspects to caring that can enrich lives alongside the obvious challenges.

How is The Island helping young carers?

The Island is committed to supporting young carers, in fact, 8% of our existing mentees were referred to the Island as young carers and that number is set to rise as lockdown restrictions are lifted. Many of these young carers are struggling with the additional pressures of caring for someone at home while managing their own mental health and wellbeing. They can feel overwhelmed and isolated, particularly during the pandemic when they have been out of school and may not be able to see extended family or friends. Having a mentor can make a real difference for young carers and give them time to be themselves, unlock their potential and build their self-esteem.


One of our young mentees, Susan, says “The Island has been a lifeline for me and has taught me many new skills. I used to have a lot of friends at school but becoming a carer for my dad changed that. I felt lonely but working with my mentor has helped me to feel more positive about the future. I aspire to become a hairdresser, so my mentor is currently helping me to work on my social skills so that I can become more sociable. Alison (the mentor) says that social skills are important in hairdressing, so she is setting me weekly goals to help me come out of my shell. The Island has really helped me, and I feel without it that I would have become more unhappy and unable to cope.”

What can you do to support young carers at The Island?

There are so many ways that you can help young carers who use our mentoring services. Our mentoring services have proven time and time again that they can be tailored to suit a wide range of challenges that a child or young person may face.


Volunteer: Becoming a one-to-one volunteer mentor at The Island is the greatest gift that you can give to a young carer. As a volunteer mentor, you will provide a young carer with 52 weeks’ worth of support so that they can take positive steps forward within their lives. Mentoring is completely flexible around your existing commitments and offers an invaluable experience for those thinking of going into a career in the education or youth sector. No experience is required as full training will be provided. To find out more about volunteering, click here.


Make a donation through The Island Pledge: Earlier this year, we set up The Island Pledge to be able to guarantee mentoring services for the most vulnerable of Island mentees. By donating £15 through the pledge, you will be able to guarantee a weeks’ worth of mentoring for a young carer. To make a pledge, click here.


Set up a standing order: Sending a regular donation to our charity means that we can forecast long-term costs for our mentoring programmes. Whether you can make a monthly donation of £1, £10 or £100, every penny would really help make a difference in the lives of those who really need it. If you would like to support a young carer through your standing order, then simply let the team know and we will ensure the donation is directed to the services that we provide for young carers. Click here to set up a monthly standing order.


If you have any other suggestions on how you would like to support young carers who use our services then please click here to get in touch.

An interview with a Volunteer Mentor

By Emma Bewlay • September 28, 2023
What interested you about becoming an Island Volunteer Mentor? I was interested in volunteering and personal development to enhance my career prospects. I was at a stage where I was confused as to where I wanted to go next but I knew I was good with people, and I knew that my personality would suit working one to one with a young person. I knew that I could pass on good advice and life experience. How long did you mentor for The Island? I mentored for around 15 months. Every week for around 2 hours on a Thursday night. Sometimes we would miss a session due to various factors, but these sessions were caught up on. What did you enjoy most about the Mentoring? I enjoyed being able to experience many different activities with my young person and being able to see their confidence grow. I enjoyed catching up and hearing stories from the week and focusing my attention on that session. Different social settings allowed me to guide my young person and relay stories from my experience which I knew would be helpful. This was enjoyable as I knew I was passing on vital helpful advice for adulthood. Why do you think Mentoring is important for young people? I think in today's world with social media and the stresses on life can be overwhelming for everyone. For a young person to be guided by a mentor, they can step away from that world for a short while and express themselves or let off steam in an environment where they can be nurtured and not judged. With the guidance of a mentor, the young person can take the advice into everyday life which will hopefully help them in difficult and stressful situations. The young person can build up a relationship with the mentor and know that they have trust in them to be able to openly talk about their feelings away from a family, friend it school setting. Please let us know how you have found the support from the island and which aspects you have found the most valuable? I found the support very good and easy to access. I knew that if I needed any support or advice, I could email or call my supervisor. I found the group sessions with other mentors helpful as we could come together and talk about our experience and use any advice in future sessions. Hearing stories from other mentoring experiences was highly valued. Has the Island supported you with any future plans personally or professionally? If so, could you share this with us? The island has kept in touch with me regarding several career opportunities throughout the mentoring process that I have considered. I know that I could sit with the island and discuss any plans if I needed to. Most of all, they have helped my confidence and gave me a platform to express myself and follow my goals which has put me in good stead for next move in my career as a health trainer. The skills and experience I have gained from my mentoring will be transferred over to this next role. At the Island, we are constantly looking for people who have the ability to listen, and who feel that they can develop a positive rapport with children and young people in an honest, challenging and non-judgemental way. All prospective volunteer mentors receive training, support and supervision. This covers such areas as communication, child protection, equal opportunities and often, in the process mentors learn more about themselves, too. To find out more about our volunteer opportunities please click here www.theislandyork.org
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