A group of Manchester young carers have created an anthology, including topics from loneliness to sexuality, to be launched at a special event in the City on Friday evening.
The Lancaster University funded project will see the collection of stories and poems, entitled What’s Your Story?, read and performed by the creators at the Contact Theatre in Manchester at 6pm.
Mancunian author Dr Zoe Lambert, from Lancaster University English and Creative Writing Department, has led the 12-week creative writing project with a group of seven young carers who have a significant caring role in their family, usually a parent.
Dr Lambert says: “This role impacts on their school and college studies, as well as just being a teenager. They are busy with what parents usually worry about. Life choices and confidence can be limited.
“Discovering and developing creative talent and abilities can give young people confidence to succeed. What came to light in the project was that though the young carers had unique experiences and responsibilities, they wanted to write about a huge variety of topics.
“What stands out in this anthology is the freshness of young voices. These are youthful voices exploring a wide range of subjects, from sitting an exam to mental health issues.
“Some of the writing was written at home in notebooks and on phones and some was written in the workshops we ran.
“The true stars are the participants themselves, who have dedicated time to their writing amidst their responsibilities at home, as well as their school and college work. They are an extremely talented group of young people.”
The project is supported by Liverpool-based Writing on the Wall, who published the book, and young carers’ organisations including Manchester-based Family Action and CarersTrust 4 All.
