PACE Youth Theatre is delighted to be working with Renfrewshire Carers to create an exciting new project for young people in Renfrewshire. The project, supported by Creative Scotland’s Youth Arts Access Fund, aims to address the social isolation and lack of support faced by many young carers on a daily basis, and particularly this past year under Covid-19 restrictions.

With 74% of young carers reporting that they feel disconnected from friends and family due to lack of support and interaction outside of their household, PACE seeks to provide young people with an opportunity to connect with others in their community and support them to use their voices and share their experiences in a meaningful and positive way.

The project will launch with a series of creative workshops covering a variety of specialisms, and be followed by the creation of a final project that will be documented on film and shared at an event designed by the participants . Throughout the project, young people will have the chance to co-design, explore new creative skills and be supported to share their experiences and explore impactful ways of communicating their stories. Young people will be encouraged to lead on the direction of the project, allowing them to develop collaboration and leadership skills. Participants will also be offered bursary places to take part in PACE’s summer Fest! programme, to allow them to connect with PACE’s core work and meet new people.

Jenni Mason, Artistic Director of PACE said:

We believe that these creative opportunities are crucial in addressing the emotional well-being and mental health of young people, who have been deeply affected by events of the past year.  By the end of this project the young people involved will not only have found ways to express and explore what is happening around us but will have created a legacy resource that can be shared and used to inform others about the challenges and experiences of young carers.”

The project is due to begin in Spring 2021.