Young caregivers are part of every campus community. They carry an invisible load that often goes unrecognized by faculty, administration, and even themselves. Caregiving can be a rewarding and skill-building experience, but it can also bring challenges to many aspects of campus life.
In an environment where caregiving as a young person is rarely talked about openly, it can be easy for caregivers to assume their experiences are simply “normal” responsibilities rather than unique and heavy loads. Because young caregivers are not vocal minorities, they may internalize this silence and overlook their own need for support and recognition.
Who are young carers?
Young caregivers are youth under the age of 30 who provide unpaid care to a family member, partner, friend, or neighbour living with an injury, physical or mental illness, disability, or substance use. The support they provide can include emotional, social, medical, financial, administrative, translation, or personal care. There are over half a million young caregivers in Ontario, and they each have their own unique and often dynamic experience.
Impacts of Caregiving on Students
To keep up with the time, energy, and responsibilities caregiving can require, young caregivers often put others’ needs ahead of their own. Without adequate support, this can have a lasting impact on many parts of their life.
Physical Impact
– Chronic stress
– Limited sleep and chronic exhaustion from keeping up with caregiving responsibilities and school duties
– Illnesses from neglecting their own health
– Injuries from lifting or physically caring for someone
Emotional Impact
– Constant stress and pressure leading to burn-out
– Increased anxiety and depression (45% reported a mental health issue)
– Difficult emotions such as loneliness, hopelessness, anger, and guilt
– Low self-esteem when struggling to balance multiple responsibilities
Social Impact
– Increased isolation and difficulty connecting with peers
– Limited time to keep up with activities or participate in new hobbies
– Difficulty navigating a perceived stigma and/or feelings of invisibility as a young carer
– Difficulty maintaining healthy family boundaries
– Loss of opportunities to explore social identity and independence during formative years
– Difficulty managing personal healthcare, education, and financial needs when family support is directed toward the care recipient
Financial Impact
– Compounding pressures to cover cost of education and out-of-pocket care expenses
– Limited time for paid work
– Increased debt and stress of financial strain
– Limited access to sufficient financial support, including scholarships and bursaries that may require extracurricular or academic performance
Educational Impact
– Difficulty concentrating, processing, and participating in learning
– Difficulty attending classes regularly, leading to learning gaps
– Limited time available to study and complete assignments or tasks
– Increased risk of dropping out or postponing educational goals
– Lack of recognition in policies, accommodations, or targeted campus/school resources
How can you support?
Identify
One of the greatest challenges young caregivers face is that their role often goes unrecognized due to their age. Helping students identify their caregiving responsibilities—and how these impact their daily lives, including school—can empower them to seek and accept support.
In 1:1 conversations: “I noticed you mentioned ___. Some youth are caregivers, which means they provide some sort of care for someone in their life. Does this sound like your situation?”
Across campus: Raise awareness of the term “young caregiver” and break down the stigma by putting up posters and sharing the term with other staff, faculty, and students.
Beyond campus: Collaborate with other postsecondary institutions, services, and community organizations to raise awareness of young carers. Advocate to integrate a new framework on campus that supports young caregivers. Leverage existing digital platforms (social media etc.) to reach young caregivers and share available supports.
“Being a young caregiver meant living two separate lives at once – supporting someone you love, while just trying to fit in and live a normal life as a student. Society’s understanding of young caregivers won’t change overnight, but by normalizing, affirming, and actively supporting us on campus, you can help us feel seen and valued regardless.” – Jay (young caregiver)
Engage
Ask young caregivers what support they need. Acknowledge their challenges and offer to co-create programs and plans that can help them stay enrolled, engaged, and successful at school. Caregiving can be very dynamic, so keeping open lines of communication with young caregivers is particularly helpful during times of high intensity caregiving and/or emergencies when their needs may shift quickly.
Support
Connect young caregivers to services on and off campus so that they can get the support they need to balance their academic and caregiving responsibilities.
On campus
Academic accommodations: Academic and accessibility offices may be able to support with course flexibility, assignment extensions, or formal accommodations related to their caregiving responsibilities. Inform faculty and staff on the unique challenges young caregivers face to ensure they are aware of caregiving responsibilities and are accommodating to their specific needs.
Financial support: Financial aid and student success offices can help to explore bursaries, emergency funding, financial planning or work opportunities.
Mental health and well-being: Campus counselling services, health and wellness centres, or peer support programs can provide emotional support, stress management, and social connection. For example: Creating networks and spaces for young caregivers to connect and share their experiences.
Off campus
The Ontario Caregiver Organization (OCO) exists to improve the lives of Ontario’s estimated 4 million caregivers. The 24/7 Ontario Caregiver Helpline (1-833-416-2273) is a one-stop resource for information about the programs and services that can support caregivers across Ontario. Learn more at OntarioCaregiver.ca
Further resources
Caring for young caregivers (webinar)
Young Caregivers in Post-secondary with Fiona Lacey and Victoria MacMillan (podcast)
Student-Parents Caring for Children (infosheet)
Boundaries (infosheet)
Accessibility and Accommodations (toolkit)
