During National Carers Week this month, the Multicultural NSW team heard from a young person whose story has stayed with me.
While navigating their own teenage years, they were also caring for an unwell parent, looking after younger siblings and dealing with health services and government departments. On top of all this, they faced language and cultural barriers that made an already difficult situation even harder.
Listening to them, I was struck by just how much they had to manage at an age when most young people are focused on school, friends and finding their way in the world.
We tend to focus on the extraordinary things carers do for others. But we don’t always see the toll it can take on their own lives or recognise when they need care and support themselves.
For carers in multicultural communities, these pressures can be compounded by language barriers, unfamiliar services and the challenge of helping family members navigate complex systems. Young people, in particular, can find themselves taking on responsibilities well beyond their years.
I want to thank our young speaker for sharing their experience so openly, and Carers NSW for joining us. We need to do more than acknowledge the contribution carers make. We need to ensure that carers from every community can find support and understand their options. Carers NSW provides resources in several languages and can be contacted for support.
James Jegasothy
Acting CEO, Multicultural NSW
