Project: OUR VOICES - Empowering young carers across Europe

Project information

Project manager
Elizabeth Hanson, professor at Dept., Health & Caring Sciences, Linnaeus University, research leader at the Swedish Family Care Competence Centre (Nka)
Other project members
Lennart Magnusson, Associate Professor at Dept. Health & Caring Sciences, director at the Swedish Family Care Competence Centre (Nka)
Emilia Olivng, PhD Student at Dept. Health & Caring Sciences, Linnaeus University, Johanna Miranda Sköld, Practitioner/facilitator at the Swedish Family Care Competence Centre (Nka)
Participating organizations
Eurocarers (project coordinator)
ANS – Italy
Linnaeus University – Sweden
Swedish Family Care Competence Centre (Nka)
ZoJong! – Belgium
Social Network VESTA – Bulgaria
University of Ljubljana – Slovenia
Financier
Co-funded by the European Union
GA: 101190125 — OUR VOICES — CERV-2024-CHILD
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Timetable
1 april 2025 – 31 March 2027
Subject
Health and Caring Sciences (Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences)
Research group
The Informal Carers, Care and Caring research group – a research arm of the Nka
Webbsite
https://ourvoicesproject.eu/

More about the project

OUR VOICES promotes inclusive and systemic participation of young carers at local, national, and EU levels. The project aims to ensure that young carers are not only heard but actively listened to, especially in policy decisions that impact their daily lives. The project will:

• Create the conditions for active youth participation
• Develop tools and strategies that empower young carers to engage in policy discussions
• Advocate for more inclusive, responsive public policies
• Share best practices across Member States

Through coordinated action and a commitment to child rights, OUR VOICES aspires to build a future where young carers are visible, valued, and empowered to shape the systems that serve them.

Results

1. Empowered young carers
   Young carers will gain a better understanding of the value of participation and develop stronger advocacy skills to represent themselves in decisions affecting their lives.
2. Better equipped professionals
   Health, social care, and education professionals will enhance their ability to identify young carers and adopt effective practices that support their active participation in decision-making processes.
3. Stronger collaboration and policy influence
   Improved cooperation among stakeholders, including young carers, policy makers, professionals, and educators, will promote a sustainable, integrated model of support, replicable in other EU Member States.

The project is part of the research in the research group The Informal Carers, Care and Caring research group – a research arm of the Nka