SAILING
with falkirk & clackmannanshire
young carers
allkirk & Clackmannanshire
Carers Centre provides
group, one to one and befriending support for young people aged 8 - 18. In 2017 three separate groups sailed with Ocean Youth Trust Scotland.
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A case study was conducted with one group from Falkirk and Clackmannanshire to find out more about where they were before taking part in the voyage and how they felt afterwards.
Data from the 10 group members confirms that respite was not of high importance prior to the trip with group responses mirroring the overall results. Yet responses after the voyage reveal that getting respite was valued, as these participants noted:
"Sailing is important to me because it allows me to forget about thoughts back home."
"It is a great experience and it helped me to meet new people in the same situation and it gave me a break from my home life."
Indeed the Falkirk group rated 'getting respite from your caring responsibilities' highest with an average weighting of 4.3 out of a maximum of 5, alongside 'acquiring new skills' and 'trying new things'.
The Falkirk group also gave a relatively high rating to 'growing in confidence' (4.2), which is significant given that 'Confidence - belief in your abilities only achieved a weighting of 2.7 - below the mid-point of 3 prior to the voyage. One respondent went on to say:
"I now have more confidence to deal with the people who bully me."
Similar high ratings were awarded to 'Meeting with other young carers' and 'Improving your mental wellbeing' (both 4.17).
Members of the Falkirk group also believe that the voyage helps with 'Being a better carer for those you care for' (4), to which one respondent added:
"I can tell my little brother stories and teach him new things."
Another aspect where significant improvement was observed was that yachting skills - having never been tried were naturally rated at a low level before the voyage. This participant referred to ways they will continue to build on these skills when they said:
"I am going to use the knots and cooking skills I've learned when I go on a trip to Africa."
Therefore the group's results confirm that skills as well as social and emotional improvements were achieved.
The young carers support workers are aware that they now have an important role in supporting their ongoing development as one noted:
"My priority for this group is to try and develop individual support plans. This will hopefully build on the success of the OYT Scotland voyage."