AMI-Québec and Youth4Youth Québec, with the support of Proche Aidance Québec, have begun a campaign to collect stories of young carers and share them for #YoungCarersActionDay. 

What is this campaign addressing?

One in four Quebecers over the age of 15 will be a caregiver during their lifetime¹. Yet those who are young carers are not recognized by their teachers or professionals as caregivers; in fact, most don’t realize that they are carers themselves². 

So what does being a young carer or young caregiver entail? 

Young carers are those under the age of 30 that look after a family member with a mental or physical illness, disability, substance abuse problem, old-age complications, or as a result of a socioeconomic factor (i.e. low income or language barrier)². They face time consuming obligations that on average are the equivalent to a part time job (between 14 to 27 hours a week)³. Balancing care responsibilities and day to day activities like completing their assignments, working, exercising, or socializing with their friends can be a struggle. 

These responsibilities lead to barriers to pursuing their career and academic prospects, often contributing to economic hardships and mental health challenges. 

CALL TO ACTION

There needs to be a wider awareness that young people can be caregivers, and that their needs are different from other carers, so that supports can be developed.

GET INVOLVED

We are asking Young Carers to share their story, anonymously or otherwise.  

Every word counts: Tell us how you feel about your situation in one sentence, or take all the space you need! These responses will inform further research to ensure support is accessible to all young carers. Following the submission of your response, you will be directed to a page that contains a list of available resources for young carers. For every response collected, Y4Y Quebec will donate 10$ to AMI Quebec’s Young Carers Working Group.