We were delighted to welcome the Young Carers Illustration Project team to our summer party, where illustrator and storyteller Ana Graça captured the celebrations and interviewed two of our young carers, Lena and Victoria, about their involvement in the development of her children’s book Young Carers in Space.

Working alongside primary school-aged young carers, including young carers supported by Kingston Carers Network, the Young Carers Illustration Project aims to increase representation of young carers in children’s literature.

Through interactive workshops, young carers shared their experiences and ideas, helping to shape the story, characters and illustrations.

“I feel like for me, I was like, "Wow, this is such a cool book because it's kind of like us, but like they don't have our name, so it's like anonymous, but like it's us." Lena

Young Carers in Space follows Honey, as she travels into space with the help of a fairy while learning that she does not have to face challenges alone. At home, Honey helps care for her older brother and struggles to share her worries with her teacher at school. Along the way, she discovers other young carers like her and learns that support is available.

The story was inspired by the experiences and perspectives shared by young carers during the workshops, including contributions from Lena and Victoria.

In the new film, Lena and Victoria talk about what it meant to see young carers represented in a book.

“When the book launched, I remember I was really excited because no one ever puts us in books.” Victoria

Both young carers also spoke about how the project helped others understand their experiences. Lena explained: “I felt really special because people were kind of talking about me and they kind of started to understand how I felt.”

Watch the film below to hear more from Lena and Victoria and see highlights from our summer party.