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Place a donation here to contribute to the transport costs for young carers traveling to YCF 2010!

The National Young Carers Festival (YCF) is an annual
event held at Fairthorne Manor, Southampton and
will be celebrating its 11th year in 2010. The festival is designed to give young people with a caring responsibility the chance to relax and enjoy their childhoods for a weekend.

Young carers have a responsibility for the care of a family member with a disability or long-term illness, this may be a parent, sibling or grandparent. Young carers have to juggle their caring responsibilities with the day-to-day pressures of growing up, including school and homework, not to mention finding time to relax and spend time socialising with friends.

The 2001 census detected 175,000 young carers in the UK, but there are thought to be many more who may not identify themselves as young carers - they simply look after a loved one as they always have.

Public awareness of young carers has grown over the last 11 years, but there is still a long way to go before these young people are recognised for and supported in the amazing work they do every day of their lives.

The YMCA and Children’s Society have been working together for the last 11 years, providing a fun weekend of music, camping, sports, activities and other festival fun, allowing young carers to forget their responsibilities and recapture their childhood for a weekend.  The festival has
grown over the past decade and nowattracts up to 1500
young carers each year- although we are always open to more!

As well as being great fun, YCF has allowed young carers to
gain a national voice that has influenced government
legislation and raised awareness of this important group
that is often out of society’s sight.

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