Vilans reports on their successes for Young carers week in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, the annual Week of young caregivers was celebrated from the first to the 7th of June. This year due to Covid-19 the activities were mainly held online. Because of that, an extra attention week Young caregivers will be held from 5 until 11 October 2020.
The media attention was enormous this year, much more than in previous years: every day young carers themselves were interviewed, invited to talk shows, national press, television etc.
The headlight of their celebrations was the campaign by the Ministry of Health using the hashtag #Shareyourcare (in Dutch #Deeljezorg) on 28th May 2020
The minister talked live on youtube to several young carers about their situation: What’s like to be a young carer? And how do you share your care with others? They could also ask Hugo de Jonge, minister of Health, questions as well.
You can watch the full broadcast or the summary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsZLMaj-lcA (full 1 hour)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BngTLsytCg (Summary 18 minutes)
Young carer Marjet participated in this live broadcast and she is also involved with ME-WE: participant BLN’s, research-assistant ME-WE training/RCT and EuroCarers Working Group. She did very well!
The campaign is about awareness, that more young people care, no need to be ashamed and to share your care with professionals.
In the campaign are several videoclips with stories of young carers (also Marjet shares her story). And from influencers who are also young carers.
https://mantelzorg.nl/pagina/voor-mantelzorgers/jonge-mantelzorgers
Also the Ministry provides bags for municipalities and care-organisations/professionals with information and tools. In 2 days already 25.000 bags were ordered! https://mantelzorg.nl/pagina/voor-professionals/mantelzorgtassen
And a Toolkit for school professionals. https://mantelzorg.nl/pagina/voor-professionals/week-van-de-jonge-mantelzorger/jonge-mantelzorgers-in-het-vizier-met-de-scholentoolkit
Yvonne de Jong
Nynke de Jong
Renske Hoefman
Vilans, 16 June 2020
y.dejong@vilans.nl
