Female, aged 15
I live with my mum and I’m an only child. I care for my dad. He had a stroke and now my gran is quite ill, so I help with her as well. When I was younger my mum had a rare cancer but she's fine now.
Before I went on the boat I was OK, I wasn’t scared of going sailing even although I’d never done it before. But I was a worried that I wouldn’t be able to do the manual tasks above deck and stuff. Not knowing anyone on the boat was a bit scary and strange.
The main benefit for me was being with other young people and getting a break from home. I was worried at first about not having my phone but that was kind of good because I didn’t have to worry about having to keep phoning home to check what was happening. I knew the family could contact the Carers Centre and get in touch with me if they needed to, so I could relax and get into a different mindset. That was good to have that space just for me.
Going on the voyage has made me realise that some of the knowledge and skills I have picked up will be useful. I am going on a trip with World Challenge to Africa and the rope skills and cooking for a lot of people will be useful.
Having been on the voyage it’s been great to tell my mum and dad about the experience and show them my photographs.
Male, aged 15
I care for my little brother who has autism and my dad struggles with PTSD, depression and anxiety. Sometimes I care for my grandparents as well, but that’s quite rare.
I have acted as a carer since I was 7. I took over from my older brother. When he left home I saw my family struggle, so I thought I’d try and help. Initially my brother told me what I had to do then I just got used to it. At school in the beginning it was okay but over the years, especially with homework I've struggled and I ask more questions than others about the work we need to do. It feels like my education has slowed down. Because of this my mental health has been affected.
I’m able to talk to our Head of House. I have talked to the counsellor in the school about my family in general and I have talked to teachers about my homework and why I’ve not been able to do it. They’ve (teachers) not made it easy for me but they have given me more chances because of my situation.
The voyage gave me the opportunity to get a bit of space to myself. Going on the boat meant I didn’t have to think about what was going on at home, or as much as I normally do. Usually I’d be thinking what's happening at home but on the boat it was more about thinking what I had to do.
The biggest thing for me was the impact the experience had in relation to my career. Before going on the boat, I wanted to be an engineer. Now I definitely want to join the Navy.
STORIES OF YOUNG CARERS