{"id":42115,"date":"2020-03-10T15:13:11","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T15:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=42115"},"modified":"2020-03-10T15:13:11","modified_gmt":"2020-03-10T15:13:11","slug":"how-young-carers-get-to-be-children-again-at-the-ymca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/03\/10\/how-young-carers-get-to-be-children-again-at-the-ymca\/","title":{"rendered":"How young carers get to be children again at the YMCA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42118\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-1400x1050.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42118\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6806-1400x1050.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption><strong>Young carers meet at a youth club run by the YMCA on Wednesday nights.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8216;<em>I know it\u2019s bad, but sometimes I take days off school just to catch up on sleep,&#8217; says Cari, 13<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n<p>IN Cardiff, there are children as young as&nbsp;seven&nbsp;caring for parents and siblings who are&nbsp;unwell, have a&nbsp;health&nbsp;condition, or other additional needs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>The YMCA Young Carers Project, based&nbsp;in&nbsp;Roath, was set up over 10 years ago to give these children a break&nbsp;from their caring role at home.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Around 15-20 children from all over Cardiff&nbsp;come to&nbsp;the&nbsp;youth club on Wednesday nights from 6pm to 7.30pm&nbsp;and meet other children like them.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>The club is based&nbsp;at the YMCA Plas on City Road and provides&nbsp;snacks, drawing materials,&nbsp;games rooms&nbsp;and&nbsp;a sports hall.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>I&nbsp;have been invited to visit&nbsp;the youth club,&nbsp;and even from outside I can&nbsp;hear&nbsp;children screaming and shouting in excitement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Katie Gregory, 32, meets me at the&nbsp;door. She is one of the YMCA workers&nbsp;on&nbsp;the&nbsp;young&nbsp;carers&nbsp;project and&nbsp;has helped&nbsp;run the youth club for nearly two years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-770x1027.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-293x391.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-1400x1867.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-770x1027.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-293x391.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-1400x1867.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/Katie-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption><strong>Katie Gregory, 32, has worked with the young carers for nearly two years.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>\u201cCome into the games room,\u201d she says,&nbsp;ushering&nbsp;me inside.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>She&nbsp;nods&nbsp;towards a door at the end of the corridor:&nbsp;\u201cYou don\u2019t want to go into the sports hall \u2013 you&#8217;ll end up with a ball on your head!\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Katie introduces me to three girls sitting at a table in the games room. They are aged between 11 and 13, and&nbsp;all of them&nbsp;care&nbsp;in some way&nbsp;for their parents and\/or siblings.&nbsp;Cari, 13,&nbsp;cares for her whole family.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m the parent of the house, I sort of look after everyone,\u201d she says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy mum had a tracheostomy, so now she can\u2019t speak&nbsp;and she needs a machine to clear her airway, my dad suffers from severe depression, and my younger sister fell in a fire a few years ago, so she needs surgery every two years on her burns.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy older sister has a muscle condition and depression, and I\u2019ve got anxiety myself,\u201d says Cari.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Her friends at the youth club, Colette and Kallie,&nbsp;both&nbsp;care for their brothers and Colette&nbsp;also looks after her mum.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe gets really stressed out and my little brother just doesn\u2019t learn, he\u2019s eight and still can\u2019t get himself dressed,\u201d&nbsp;says Colette, 12.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>She is firm friends with Kallie, 11,&nbsp;who has been going to the youth club for three years.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cColette lives over the bridge from my house, and if there\u2019s something really wrong during the night&nbsp;we\u2019ll phone each other,\u201d says Kallie.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>She sees something funny&nbsp;on her mobile phone and&nbsp;shows it to Colette,&nbsp;then&nbsp;they start chatting between themselves.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>As part of the young&nbsp;carers&nbsp;project, the YMCA&nbsp;also&nbsp;takes the children out on day trips.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe do loads of things&nbsp;with them,\u201d says Katie. \u201cIce skating, bowling, the cinema, white-water rafting, indoor surfing, Drayton Manor, and the&nbsp;butterfly zoo.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>However, the project recently lost its funding, so Katie and her colleagues have only been able to run the youth club lately.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>They\u2019re about to start a new partnership with Cardiff Family Advice and Support, she says, so during the Easter holidays they plan to take the children to Noah\u2019s Ark farm zoo.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re trying to make it easier for them to make new friends and I think it\u2019s really important that they don\u2019t feel so alone,\u201d she says.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s basically about allowing them to have fun and be children, because they take on a lot of extra responsibility.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>In the games room,&nbsp;children ranging in age from seven to&nbsp;13,&nbsp;are&nbsp;playing with&nbsp;Lego, board games and a Nintendo Wii.&nbsp;A&nbsp;swaying&nbsp;Jenga tower&nbsp;topples&nbsp;over&nbsp;with a crash.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"781\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-1024x781.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-1024x781.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-300x229.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-770x587.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-1536x1172.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-2048x1562.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-500x381.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-293x223.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-1400x1068.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"781\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-1024x781.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-1024x781.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-300x229.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-770x587.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-1536x1172.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-2048x1562.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-500x381.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-293x223.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6808-1400x1068.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>The children can play with a range of toys: from Lego bricks to the Nintendo Wii.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Although there is a separate youth club&nbsp;on Saturdays&nbsp;for&nbsp;children&nbsp;aged 11+,&nbsp;many older&nbsp;children&nbsp;still come on Wednesdays&nbsp;to&nbsp;play games&nbsp;and see their friends.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s meant to just be for primary age children, but we\u2019re not very strict.&nbsp;We just want them to come here and enjoy themselves,\u201d says&nbsp;Katie.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Cari worries a lot about&nbsp;school and&nbsp;checks her bag several times before going to bed,&nbsp;just&nbsp;to make sure&nbsp;she\u2019s packed everything for the next day.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI&nbsp;find it hard to get my homework done, because I have to help out so much at home, and I don\u2019t want to turn the printer on late at night and wake everyone up,\u201d she says.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you don\u2019t hand your homework in you get a CAM,&nbsp;that&#8217;s like a punishment point, and&nbsp;when you have five of them the teachers ring home and ask to speak to your parents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve got two CAMs&nbsp;already&nbsp;this year.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>School trips&nbsp;are&nbsp;also&nbsp;difficult,&nbsp;because you\u2019re not allowed to use your mobile phone&nbsp;and&nbsp;Cari&nbsp;worries about her family when she\u2019s away for more than a few&nbsp;hours.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>She&nbsp;likes to keep in contact, but&nbsp;due to her own health problems,&nbsp;she&nbsp;will have to go&nbsp;into hospital for&nbsp;surgery soon.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat if&nbsp;worst&nbsp;comes to worst and I go into cardiac arrest or something, what would my family do without me?\u201d she asks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI come here to enjoy myself. My friends have time to&nbsp;socialise&nbsp;and go into town or whatever, but I find it&nbsp;really hard&nbsp;to have time to do that.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cAll my friends think \u2018oh, it\u2019s just a few chores \u2013 maybe one or two extras\u2019 but they don\u2019t understand how many medicines I have to sort out every day.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt takes me a while to open up and tell people what it\u2019s really like, and when your friends don\u2019t believe you, it really hurts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>What would&nbsp;make things easier? I ask&nbsp;her.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cWell,&nbsp;it would be nice to have some tips,\u201d says Cari.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t feel like we get enough support and&nbsp;sometimes I have to take days off school just to catch up on sleep.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cLast week I had a day when I thought there was nothing on, but I accidentally missed a test.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think we need something to relieve our stress with being young&nbsp;carers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI cycle to school and back, and it helps clear your mind. But once you get back home, you\u2019re like \u2018Ugh, we\u2019ve got more to do\u2019.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s nearly half seven and&nbsp;around me in the games room&nbsp;the youth club is starting to wrap up.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Katie gives out evaluation forms, where the young carers can say whether they enjoyed their night at the youth club, and what they would improve.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"994\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-994x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42130\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-994x1024.jpg 994w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-291x300.jpg 291w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-770x793.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-1491x1536.jpg 1491w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-1989x2048.jpg 1989w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-500x515.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-293x302.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-1400x1442.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812.jpg 2010w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 994px) 100vw, 994px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"994\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-994x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42130\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-994x1024.jpg 994w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-291x300.jpg 291w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-770x793.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-1491x1536.jpg 1491w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-1989x2048.jpg 1989w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-500x515.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-293x302.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812-1400x1442.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/03\/IMG_6812.jpg 2010w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 994px) 100vw, 994px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption><strong>A young carer fills out his evaluation form.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>What will you do when you get home?&nbsp;I ask Cari.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll have to sort out the medicines. We\u2019ve got this big bag full of them and I\u2019ll&nbsp;have to look through it to find one tablet for one person and another&nbsp;one&nbsp;for another person,\u201d she says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Cari\u2019s mum&nbsp;is able to&nbsp;pick her up tonight because she\u2019s feeling well enough, and Cari gets a text to say she\u2019s&nbsp;waiting outside.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cSee you next week Cari,\u201d&nbsp;says&nbsp;Katie.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Cari waves&nbsp;goodbye&nbsp;as&nbsp;puts on her coat, then she picks up her bag and&nbsp;leaves the youth club.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8216;I know it\u2019s bad, but sometimes I take days off school just to catch up on sleep,&#8217; says Cari, 13 IN Cardiff, there are children as young as&nbsp;seven&nbsp;caring for parents and siblings who are&nbsp;unwell, have a&nbsp;health&nbsp;condition, or other additional needs.&nbsp; The YMCA Young Carers Project, based&nbsp;in&nbsp;Roath, was set up over 10 years ago to give these children a break&nbsp;from their caring role at home.&nbsp;&nbsp; Around 15-20 children from all over Cardiff&nbsp;come to&nbsp;the&nbsp;youth club on Wednesday nights from 6pm to 7.30pm&nbsp;and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133,"featured_media":42117,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,3,212],"tags":[1133,54,13,83],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-42115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-longer-reads","category-news","category-roath","tag-youngcarers","tag-children","tag-health","tag-ymca"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - 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