A wee night at the Oscars for South Ayrshire's Young Carers

Last week, South Ayrshire Young Carers celebrated the premiere of a new awareness raising film, "Take Care of You". This fictional film, based on the real-life experiences of our wee carers, young carers of primary school age, tells the story of three children and how their caring roles impact them in different ways.

This movie not only stars a number of our local young carers, but was also developed, written and filmed by young carers themselves. In partnership with the local film-making social enterprise, The Iris, South Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership commissioned the film to give some of our youngest unpaid carers the opportunity to tell their own stories and share their experiences as part of a project which has been running since Autumn 2023.

Two wee carers, Abi and Fraser were the hosts for the evening, which included the premiere of Take Care of You, a Q&A session with the children involved in the development of the film, and a special performance of, 'No Scotland, No Party' by Nick Morgan...with a stage invasion from the wee carers! The event also included the premiere of South Ayrshire's Young Carers documentary - a showcase of the number and breadth of services and organisations in South Ayrshire that provide support and opportunities for our young carers.

Young Carers' Champion and South Ayrshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Health & Social Care, Councillor Hugh Hunter, said, "Take Care of You is a truly powerful, thought provoking and inspirational film. The performances, storytelling and production of the film was outstanding. Everyone involved in the making of this film, especially the wee carers, should be very proud indeed."

The premiere of the completed film brought together young carers from throughout South Ayrshire as well as their families for "A Wee Night at the Oscars" themed event. Representatives were in attendance from a variety of organisations who play a role in supporting young carers and elected members were also in attendance to show their support for the work being done.

Young Carers Lead Officer, Claire Flanagan, who led on the development of the film, said, "Although each storyline is fictitious, this film is based on experiences and feelings bravely shared by the children involved in this project. They have worked incredibly hard and have created a legacy with Take Care of You. It has been a privilege working with them and I am incredibly proud of what they have achieved."

One of the young carers said, "I think making Take Care of You was an amazing experience and I think that it can help other people recognise what a young carer is and what they do for their caring roles".

Another added, "It was a brilliant experience. I loved making new friends and had so much fun".

The final film will be shared with pupils in primary schools across South Ayrshire. This will help young people recognise if they are caring for someone and improve peer understanding. As well as this, it will be a valuable training resource for staff.

The development of Take Care of You follows on from the huge success of, 'The Weekend' - a short film developed by secondary aged young carers and released in 2023. 'The Weekend' won several national awards, including the grand UK finals of the Great British Care Awards for the category of Unpaid Carer, the Scottish Public Services Award in the Championing Diversity & Inclusion category, and was a runner up in the YouthLink Scotland National Youth Work Awards in the Equality and Diversity.