For young carers, the future can often feel uncertain as they juggle their roles at home with their dreams for what’s ahead. Despite the hurdles, many young carers are forging paths filled with ambition, resilience, and hope.

With growing recognition and support, young carers can see a future where their personal goals are not just attainable, but can thrive alongside their caring roles.For this blog, we have spoken to Libby who was previously supported as a young carer by North Tyneside Carers’ Centre and is now studying marketing at university. She recently came and spoke to our young carers about her experience of leaving home to study and juggling her future plans with her life at home.

Libby’s story

I didn’t always want to go to university. I’ve never been absolutely sure on what I want to do, and committing to three or four years and the expense of a degree felt quite daunting. I applied for uni anyway to give myself the option either way, and decided literally on the day I got my A-level results that I wanted to go.

I started on Business Management Entrepreneurship, but changed to Marketing after a couple of weeks as I felt that suited me better. I’m still not entirely sure what I want to do, I’m a part time fitness/Les Mills instructor on the side of university, so would like to be able to combine my marketing knowledge with my interest in fitness.

Leaving home

I was initially worried about leaving home as my university is three hours away so I moved out to live there. It meant I couldn’t be there to physically help and I wouldn’t know what was going on or if things were bad. This is definitely something that got better with time for me, it just took time to get used to not being there and to understand that nothing awful would happen because I wasn’t there. There have been times where it’s been more stressful, but again, you learn to manage it over time and universities have good support systems and resources you can access if you’re overwhelmed.

My biggest challenge was within the first few weeks of university. With changing my course and still being very unsure about what I wanted to do, mixed in with homesickness and worrying about what was happening at home when I wasn’t there, I nearly dropped out! My friends and family encouraged me to stick with it because I’d adjust to it more with time, and I’m really glad I did.

Growth

University has helped me because I’m definitely more equipped to go into the working world, but massively on a personal level too. It gave me the space to actually explore life outside of my caring role, letting me be more myself and do what I want to, rather than always having to worry about what’s better for someone else.

To other young carers thinking about their future, I’d say don’t let your caring role hold you back or keep you from doing what you actually want to do.

University isn’t for everyone. Don’t feel you have to go just because the people around you are going, but also don’t be scared to go for it because of your role as a carer.

Both the North Tyneside Carers’ Centre and your university can help with this. It seems daunting and scary, but university has allowed me to grow and develop in ways I wouldn’t have been able to if I had stayed at home.

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Are you a young carer thinking about your future?

At North Tyneside Carers’ Centre our Young Adult Carer Group (for people aged 16 – 25) meets every month. We provide support on managing your responsibilities while pursuing your ambitions and life skills training to prepare you for things like money management and first aid and independent living. Our friendly group is an opportunity to meet up with peers in the same situation and share experiences.

For more information email: enquiries@ntcarers.co.uk

NERAP (North East Rising Aspirations Partnership) support young people in the north east to enter university. They help young carers see university as a realistic goal and provide ongoing assistance throughout higher education. Go to their website at: https://www.nerap.ac.uk/students/young-carers/