Meet Sami…

…a bright and gregarious 18 year old I met last week. Sami is also a young carer, who provides crucial support to both her mum, who lives with a range of physical disabilities, and her younger brother, who suffers from ADHD and has serious emotional difficulties. Sami thinks she has been caring for 12 years but her mum says it’s been a lot longer. The role ranges from doing all the housework and making sure bills are paid on time to intimate personal care.

Sami’s one of an amazing group of carers aged between 12 and 20 from York who are making a short film which they hope will educate professionals and the wider public about the issues faced by young people like them, while reaching out to others like them who may not even realise they are carers. There are thought to be about 50,000 Samis in the UK alone.

A few more portraits can be seen here.