"Hidden Lives": Studying with Care Responsibilities
As part of the FAMteam's development of a comprehensive range of support services for caring for relatives, we are offering a series of workshops on the topic. Every quarter, experts from Potsdam and Brandenburg will provide university members with insights into how to overcome initial hurdles in the event of a care situation or make basic support services transparent. In the next workshop, we will look at nationwide support programmes.
Can I cope with the multiple time, financial and emotional burdens of caring and studying? The reality of students who are carers is completely different to that of their fellow students. Many think carefully before starting a degree programme: Can I or should I leave my family alone to care for my chronically multiple-disabled brother? How can I finance a flat if I have almost no time for a part-time job in addition to caring for my mother with dementia? Can I even reconcile a long commute to my place of study with caring at home?
And above all: Am I actually a carer? Many young people would not even describe themselves as ‘young carers’ because it is hardly ever talked about or framed in terms of the life situations in which people officially care for family members.
According to data from the ‘Student Survey in Germany’ from the summer semester of 2021, around 12 per cent of students stated that they cared for a loved one in their private lives. This means that the group of students providing care is larger than the group of students with children (8 per cent). Nevertheless, student carers are not yet particularly visible in the German higher education landscape. Sociologist Anna Wanka, who researches student carers at Goethe University Frankfurt, speaks of ‘hidden lives’ in an FAZ article. Students who are carers often have no time for activities with fellow students. In addition, caring for relatives and loved ones is often associated with shame. According to Wanka, this can lead to carers feeling isolated and alienated from students who are not carers. Many lecturers and fellow students are therefore unaware of the double burden on students.
In our third workshop on the topic of ‘Caring for relatives’, we look at the needs of students with caring responsibilities. We provide an overview of what young carers actually are and what characterises their everyday lives. And we help them to become aware of how they are affected, what this means for their own identity and what risks it may harbour for their studies, for example. We will also present networks in which young carers can find opportunities for exchange and supra-regional offers of advice and support.
Speaker: Petra Schmieder-Runschke from the digital project ‘Young Carer Coach’ of the ‘An Deiner Seite-Stiftung’.
The planned time frame for the event includes a presentation and plenty of opportunities to share experiences and ask questions. You are welcome with all your concerns.
This event will take place exclusively online via Zoom.
Meeting-ID: 624 9872 7923
Kenncode: 80889748
Participation in the workshop must be booked as a (lunch) break for employees.
