The OUR VOICES project has reached an important stage in its work to strengthen the participation and advocacy of Young Carers across Europe.
In our fifth newsletter, we share the latest progress from two key areas of the project: the development of the Engagement Framework for Young Carers’ Participation and Advocacy and the completion of the Training and Capacity Building Programme.
From consultation to meaningful participation
Over the past months, OUR VOICES partners have completed stakeholder consultations in Italy, Bulgaria and Belgium, involving Young Carers, families, professionals, policymakers and institutional stakeholders.
More than 200 stakeholders contributed to this process, helping the project identify both the barriers that can prevent Young Carers from having their voices heard and the conditions that can enable meaningful participation.
The findings highlight some important challenges. Young Carers often remain largely invisible within existing child and youth participation structures, while being consulted does not always mean having a genuine influence on decisions. Participants also highlighted the importance of privacy, flexible and accessible participation opportunities, peer environments and support from trusted adults.
These findings are feeding directly into the Engagement Framework, a practical resource designed to support schools, municipalities, service providers and organisations in creating more inclusive opportunities for Young Carers to participate in decisions that affect their lives.
Building professionals’ capacity to support Young Carers
Another major milestone is the completion of the project’s Training and Capacity Building Programme.
Across the five participating countries, partners delivered 13 workshops involving 116 professionals from education, healthcare, social work, youth services, NGOs and policymaking. The programme explored topics ranging from identifying Young Carers and understanding the challenges they face to effective support, participation, self-advocacy and the creation of Young Carer-friendly environments.
Feedback from participants was highly positive, showing increased knowledge and awareness of Young Carers as well as greater confidence in identifying and supporting them.
What comes next?
The next phase will put the Engagement Framework into practice. Partners will implement pilot programmes in Italy, Bulgaria and Belgium, testing participation mechanisms in local settings and working alongside Young Carers to refine them on the basis of their experiences and feedback.
Through these activities, OUR VOICES continues to work towards a simple but essential goal: ensuring that Young Carers are not only invited to speak, but are heard, supported and able to influence the decisions that affect their lives.
Want to find out more? Read Newsletter #5 and discover the latest results, activities and next steps from the OUR VOICES project.
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(Picture: AI generated)