|
Young carers take up arts challenge
 Young carers from Wigan Borough are focusing on themselves for once, to
raise awareness about the issues they face.
The youths are creating a short film at Harmony Studios in Bolton to
encourage other young people who support a family member to join the
Wigan & Leigh Young Carers group.
Rebecca Quinn, 14, said: “We are all really enjoying the project. We
hope the DVD will make other people realise it is not easy being a young
carer because we do a lot more than most people our age.”
The ‘Shining Stars’ DVD will contain interviews, a song written and
recorded by the group and footage of the young carers making a radio
play, about a group of emotionless aliens who find their feelings when
they crash their spaceship in Wigan and they have to take on the
responsibilities of local young carers in return for fuel.
Wigan & Leigh Young Carers gives its members the opportunity to take
part in group work activities, one-to-one befriending support and a
caravan holiday scheme.
The project has worked with around 200 young people since 2001 but
experts believe there is easily twice that number of young carers in the
borough.
Karen Aspinall said: “These kids have very different lives to other
young people because of the responsibilities they have within their
family. Many children find it difficult to admit they are a carer
because they don’t want to be seen as being different.
“Often, the issue will only surface when a teacher, or another adult in
their life, notices they are not doing well at school or something. Our
group gives them a bit of time out and it makes the young carers realise
they are young people too.”
The group take referrals from teachers, doctors, families and social
workers. If you’d like to find out more about Wigan & Leigh Young
Carers, or if you’d like to refer a young person, please telephone the
group on (01942) 705962.
 The Shining Stars DVD project is part of the 2006 Youth Arts Challenge,
a Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust and Manchester Airport scheme that
provides funding for young people to develop arts projects.
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust Arts Development Officer Vicky Fletcher
said: “Youth Arts Challenge provides young people with the opportunity
to plan, deliver and engage in the arts.
“Shining Stars is typical of the projects we support as the young people
have led on it right from the start and the group have never engaged in
the arts before. This will give them a platform to develop more arts
activities in future.”
Youth Arts Challenge is funding nine youth projects this year, including
a project to develop the writing skills of young men with health
problems and a series of visual art workshops enabling young people with
severe learning difficulties to create and develop artwork. A showcase
of all the 2006 Youth Arts Challenge projects will be held next year.
-ends-
Notes to Editors
• For further information about the Wigan & Leigh Young Carers please
contact project workers Karen Aspinall or Brenda Rudkin on (01942)
705962. For further information about the Youth Arts Challenge please
contact Vicky Fletcher, Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust Arts Development
Officer, on (01942) 486918. For further information or queries regarding
this press release please contact Kennedy Stewart, Wigan Leisure and
Culture Trust Young People’s Press Officer, on (01942) 486927.
►
Return to LINC News
|
