Picture: students from East Sussex College Esports course with Care for the Carers Fundraising Manager, Amy Hope (fourth from left), Default Interactive’s Alex Downham (second from left) and Young Adult Carer, Josh (far right)
Young adult carers and East Sussex College partner trial new gaming fundraiser
Young Adult Carers from Care for the Carers’ local project wanted to come up with a new way to raise funds for the charity. Care for the Carers is an East Sussex charity supporting unpaid carers. An unpaid carer is anyone looking after someone who could not manage without their help.
Jennifer Twist, CEO of Care for the Carers explains “Many of the Young Adult Carers are keen gamers, and have seen the ways other charities have raised funds from the gaming industry. They thought it would be a great way for Care for the Carers to benefit and to reach young people, teach them about caring and let them know that there is support out there for them, if they are caring themselves.”
Student taking part in the gaming fundraiser test.
The Young Adult Carers and charity approached the Esports Department at East Sussex College, for help in setting up and testing a fundraiser for them.
After months of development, and discussion of ideas, the Department, with support from Default Interactive, were able to run the first ever test gaming fundraiser for Care for the Carers.
It was decided to run a Rocket League Tournament, and three students took on the challenge of leading on this; Adam Mounir and Adam Reeves are Grand Champion 2 level in the tournament and hope to play it professionally, alongside coaching within the industry. Max was the shout caster for the tournament, commentating on it for the live Twitch feed.
Students and staff taking part in the gaming fundraiser test.
Young adult carer, Josh, took part in the event and said: “We have been wanting to do this for ages; it was great to be part of the tournament and exciting to see what a big gaming fundraiser would look like, and how it would work. We’re grateful to Default Interactive and the College for supporting us to make this happen.”
The college added: “The Esports Department at East Sussex College Lewes are very happy to be involved with Care for the Carers charity. By running this Rocket League tournament, the students can use their newfound skills to raise money and awareness for the charity.”
Due to the success of the test tournament, Care for the Carers is now looking to put on a full gaming fundraiser over the next year. You can donate to the fundraiser at www.justgiving.com/yacgaming. If you would like to get involved, or learn more, then please contact Amy on amyh@cftc.org.uk.
About Care for the Carers
Care for the Carers is the Carers Centre for East Sussex and an independent charity supporting unpaid carers across the county. The charity is commissioned to provide services to carers by East Sussex County Council and the NHS.
The charity provides free practical and emotional advice to Carers and a range of services. Services include referrals to other local services, outreach support, one-to-one crisis help and guidance, coaching, training, wellbeing and support groups, activities and counselling. They strive to create carer friendly communities and peer support opportunities across East Sussex.
Care for the Carers aims to do more to help carers in East Sussex through raising awareness, fundraising and volunteering. Their work ensures that no one is left to care alone. Further information is available at: www.cftc.org.uk, by phoning 01323 738390 or emailing info@cftc.org.uk.
About the Young Adult Carers project
The project works with young people aged 17-25 years old who are supporting someone who could not get by without their help.Young Adult Carers (YACs) Groups are held monthly in the evening. Run by carer support workers, the groups are split into two sessions. The first half is structured and includes a workshop, a talk, or feedback and consultation opportunities. The second hour allows the carers to relax, chat with each other, or talk to a support worker.
There is also an activities programme, with a range of free activities available over the year. Previous activities have included horse riding, go karting, bowling and Laser Quest.
If you would like to know more about our work with Young Adult Carers then contact us on 01323 738390 or email info@cftc.org.uk
About carers in East Sussex
Care for the Carers estimates that there are 69,241 unpaid carers in East Sussex, and below are the estimated figures for each area*. It is difficult to know the actual number of carers because so many carers are hidden.
Wealden 19,356
Lewes 13,686
Rother 13,287
Eastbourne 12,621
Hastings 10,291
There are an estimated additional 34,000 carers due to the pandemic.
There are an estimated 21,000 young carers in East Sussex.
About East Sussex College Esports Department
The Esports course is cutting edge and was developed by the British Esports Association and Pearson and we are happy to be one of the first to run the course. The students learn creative, business, event management, team, coaching, tactics, health & fitness industry processes.
More information can be found on their website at www.escg.ac.uk/courses/computing-ict/software-development/esports-level-3-72184/ or you can contact the college on lewes.info@escg.ac.uk tel. 030 300 39200
This project was supported by the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF).
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