HIDDEN: The Voices Of Young Carers

Hana, 21, is a caregiver for her father. Hana also has the role as a translator for both her parents. Hear from Hana on how she deals with taking on adult responsibilities as a daughter, a young carer, a cultural navigator and translator of complex medical information for her family.

Danielle, 15, is a caregiver for her sister. Although she is the younger sister, she says she often acts as the older sibling and must do things to help her sister out. Danielle shares how she manages relationships with her friends and how sometimes she has to miss out on things that most kids enjoy.

Ethan, 16 is a young carer for his sister. Ethan shares insights into his relationship with his sister, how he manages difficult conversations with his peers and strangers and offers advice to others and finally what his sister has taught him over the years.

Stephane, 25, is a caregiver for his brother. Stephane is a strong advocate and ambassador for young carers. He shares his turning point for when he decided to share his role as a young carer with his friends, how being a young carer made him grow up much faster and finally he offers insights on how others can stay optimistic in young carer roles.

Emily, 22, is a caregiver for her mother who has young-onset dementia. Emily discusses the significance of her role as a young carer and how she doesn’t let it control her identity. Emily shares how she balances travelling to and from university on the weekends to care for her mother and how is learning to appreciate the time she has with her mom now, realizing she won’t be here for forever.

Isabella, 16, is a caregiver for her brother. She discusses her protective demeanor, how she balances activities with her friend, responsibilities at school and how her relationship is unique as a sister, twin and caregiver to her brother.

Aaliyah, 8, is a young carer to her sister. She is the youngest young carer on the series yet manages to offer key pieces of advice to kids her age. Find out how she balances being a young carer and sibling – plus you can find out her superpower name! We thank all of the young carers who shared their stories, our host Sonya Singh and our collaborators – Young Carers Program at Hospice Toronto, Young Caregivers Association, Heart House Hospice and Roger Neilson House – who helped us create this podcast series. Related links:  https://www.changefoundation.ca/ o Twitter: @TheChangeFdn  https://www.ycptoronto.com/  https://hearthousehospice.com/  https://youngcaregivers.ca/  https://rogerneilsonhouse.ca/

Tyra, 14, is a caregiver for both her grandmothers. She describes what being a young carer means to her, how she manages her feelings and emotions with both her grandmothers and also how she wants kids her age to be mindful of their words and actions. We thank all of the young carers who shared their stories, our host Sonya Singh and our collaborators – Young Carers Program at Hospice Toronto, Young Caregivers Association, Heart House Hospice and Roger Neilson House – who helped us create this podcast series. Related links:  https://www.changefoundation.ca/ o Twitter: @TheChangeFdn  https://www.ycptoronto.com/  https://hearthousehospice.com/  https://youngcaregivers.ca/  https://rogerneilsonhouse.ca/

Aaron and Aidan, 10, are caregivers for their other brother. The boys talk about their triplet Zachary, how smart he is, how they enjoy about spending time together and how they help and protect Zachary.

Abbigail, 15, is a caregiver for her twin brother and is wise beyond her years. In this episode she describes she only wants other people to understand what she and other young carers go through.

Samiha, 19, is a caregiver for her mother. Samiha shares how she struggled with the idea of going off to university and becoming a long-distance caregiver and offers her advice to other young carers. We thank all of the young carers who shared their stories, our host Sonya Singh and our collaborators – Young Carers Program at Hospice Toronto, Young Caregivers Association, Heart House Hospice and Roger Neilson House – who helped us create this podcast series. Related links: • https://www.changefoundation.ca/ o Twitter: @TheChangeFdn • https://www.ycptoronto.com/ • https://hearthousehospice.com/ • https://youngcaregivers.ca/ • https://rogerneilsonhouse.ca/

Isaac, 16, was a caregiver for his mother. Isaac discusses his role as a young carer and older brother to his siblings while balancing his responsibilities in sports, school and transitioning into high school. We thank all of the young carers who shared their stories, our host Sonya Singh and our collaborators – Young Carers Program at Hospice Toronto, Young Caregivers Association, Heart House Hospice and Roger Neilson House – who helped us create this podcast series. Related links: • https://www.changefoundation.ca/ o Twitter: @TheChangeFdn • https://www.ycptoronto.com/ • https://hearthousehospice.com/ • https://youngcaregivers.ca/ • https://rogerneilsonhouse.ca/

Micaela, 20, is a young carer to her father. In this episode, hear how she navigates her role, has built new friendships with other young carers, and prioritizes her mental health and sets boundaries for herself. The Change Foundation thanks all of the young carers who shared their stories, our host Sonya Singh and our collaborators – Young Carers Program at Hospice Toronto, Young Caregivers Association, Heart House Hospice and Roger Neilson House – who helped us create this podcast series.