Duncan leads the Young Carers programme at Dream Arts, a charity commissioned by Westminster City Council to lead on the Young Carers Support Programme. He’s brought groups to the Young Carers Festival for three years running, and watched, every time, what one weekend of joy can do.
Ask Duncan what the festival is actually for, and he doesn’t talk about the rides or the fireworks first. He talks about who his Young Carers get to be for three days.
“The most important thing for Young Carers is an opportunity to be kids for a weekend.” – Duncan, Young Carers Programme Manager, Dream Arts (Westminster)
It’s a small sentence carrying a lot of weight – and Duncan sees the proof of it every single year.
What Changes By the End of the Weekend
The Young Carers that teachers sometimes describe as “quiet and reserved” don’t stay quiet for long. Neither do the ones labelled “disruptive” or “struggling to regulate their emotions.” By the end of the festival, Duncan says, none of those labels apply.
“We see abundant joy by the end of it.” – Duncan
Trying a zip line for the first time, staying upright on a paddleboard, or joining a dance circle with strangers who turn out to be friends by nightfall – these moments matter more than they sound like they should. Many of the Young Carers Duncan works with rarely get the chance to plan further ahead than the current week. Succeeding at something brand new, in a weekend built entirely around them, is often the first evidence they’ve had in a long time of just how capable they are.
“That confidence to walk away from the festival and say: actually, I’m going to be confident in my ability – even if the people around me don’t offer that same confidence.” – Duncan
A Community That Understands
Part of what makes the festival work, Duncan says, is simply putting Young Carers in a room with other Young Carers – people who understand a life that can be hard to explain to anyone else. Friendships made at the festival regularly outlast the weekend. Young Carers from neighbouring boroughs, sometimes just streets apart, meet for the first time here and stay in touch all year.
“You’re building a community that could be so vital to their wellbeing – their sense of hope.” – Duncan
What Caring Looks Like the Rest of the Year
Across Duncan’s caseload, Young Carers look after parents with mental illness, siblings with disabilities, grandparents with chronic conditions, and family members going through cancer treatment. On average, the Young Carers in his programme cook three meals a week for their family; some cook every meal. Many manage medication schedules, help with washing and dressing, or simply sit for hours holding someone’s hand through a difficult moment, since there’s often no one else there to do it.
Unpaid carers – Young Carers among them – save the UK economy an estimated £184 billion a year, according to the Centre for Care’s Valuing Carers: 2021/22 report. It’s a striking measure of how much these young people already give. A festival weekend is one of the very few places that gives something back.
Why This Matters to a Sponsor
Every place Dream Arts brings to the festival is funded – the ticket, a staff member to travel with the group, and a coach to get everyone there and back. When funding stretches further, more Young Carers get the weekend Duncan describes. Right now, funding is what decides how many places he can offer.
“The two biggest limiting factors are the number of Young Carers we can offer a place to, and the number of staff we can afford to bring.” – Duncan, on what funding decides today
Corporate sponsorship is what raises that number: funding a ticket for a Young Carer who’d otherwise miss out, funding the staff member who makes it possible for a service to bring a bigger group, funding the coach that gets everyone there together. Every pound put toward the festival is a pound spent giving a Young Carer three days of exactly what Duncan describes – the simple, rare chance to just be a kid.
To find out how your business can help fund places, staffing or travel for services like Dream Arts Westminster, get in touch at fundraising@ymca-fg.org or visit our webpage.
