If you're between 12-24 years of age and live in NSW, don’t miss your chance to get involved in NSW Youth Week 2022. This year’s theme, as set by the NSW Youth Advisory Council, is It’s up to Youth.
Youth Week takes place from 4 to 14 April and there will be a range of activities, opportunities and events for young people to enjoy throughout the State.
For information and to see what’s on visit: NSW Youth Week 2022 | NSW Government
Young Carers
Young carers are children and young people, aged 25 years or under, who help to support a family member or friend who is living with an illness or disability, such as motor neurone disease.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that there are 260,700 young carers in Australia - more than 3% of all people under 25! During Youth Week we want to share some resources for young carers of people living with MND.
MND NSW Youth Hub
We are excited to be launching our Youth Hub. The Hub has been created for younger people (aged 13 – 18 years) who are connected to and caring for someone with MND. It is a space to chill and connect with others from all over Australia with similar experiences.
MND NSW Youth Hub will be run online every second month. Topics and conversations are chosen by the Youth Hub Community. The first MND NSW Youth Hub will launch on Wednesday 13th April at 7pm.
For further information or to grab a spot, contact Natalie Caruana at
Young Carers Festival
The Young Carers Festival is being presented by Little Dreamers, which is an organisation that supports young people aged 4 – 25 years old, who provide care for a family member affected by disability, chronic or mental illness, addiction, or frail age. It is being held at the Sydney Aquarium and is free for young carers.
For further information on the Young Carers Festival or other programs offered by Little Dreamers please email:
Resources for young carers
‘Me, my family and MND’
MND NSW has developed a new 18-page booklet for children aged 5 - 13 years who have someone in their lives living with MND. ‘Me, my family and MND’ is a guide for young people to help them understand MND and contains activities and information.
For a free copy of this booklet, please contact
‘So, what is MND, anyway?’
The Motor Neurone Disease Association of England and Wales have a resource for young people: ‘So what is MND, anyway?’. This guide has been created for young people aged 13 -18 years that have a family member living with MND.
You can view an online version here: MND Association - So what is MND, anyway?
Talking with Young People
This is an information pack of six booklets (of 8 to 20 pages each) for parents making the difficult journey with motor neurone disease. The set includes one booklet for parents with suggestions and tips, and five other booklets including age specific information.
View those booklets online here: Talking with Young People about MND
Support for young carers
Young people caring for family members with MND can seek assistance for financial support and emotional support, through various government and private organisations. Carer Gateway and Carers NSW offer online forums to connect with other young people caring for a family member affected by disability, chronic or mental illness, addiction, or frail age.
Carer Gateway also offers financial support for young carers while they try to juggle school, university and part-time jobs whilst caring for a family member with MND. For further information on accessing their services please click on the links below:
- Carer Gateway - Home | Carer Gateway
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Young Carers Network (YCN) - Home | Young Carers Network
- Carers NSW - Young Carers | Carers NSW
- National Centre for Childhood Grief - National Centre for Childhood Grief
