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This month, our team reconnected with some former students who have graduated from the CYP program. As a current CYP student, you may wonder what happens after you graduate.

One answer is that your connection to AACY does not end.

We are starting a new group that brings together former CYP students. Over time, it will also include other young adults who were Caregiving Youth, even if they were not part of the program.

The group is being led by Ellyn Okrent, one of our Board members, who is helping get it started.

Some former students now live outside Palm Beach County, but many stay connected through Zoom and other activities. You may see members of this group helping at events or joining activities. They understand caregiving and want to support you.

The AACY community continues, even after you graduate!

The Collective: Caregiving Youth Staying Connected After Graduation

Greetings, CYP Friends!

During the month of January, our Caregiving Youth participants jumped into Skills Building Groups at their schools! These groups are fun, interactive, and packed with useful info, all while giving you, as caregivers, a chance to connect with peers who understand what it’s like to balance caregiving at home. 

Each session focuses on a new topic designed to help you build confidence, independence, and real-life skills. From Communication Skills and Healthy Relationships to Career Exploration and Deciding Your Future, our caregiving youth are learning tools they can use now and, in the years ahead, plus having a good time along the way with peers!

Looking ahead to February! We’re excited to connect with you and your family through a virtual activity focused on Mental Wellness and Stress Management. Expect an engaging conversation that is informative and fun. You’ll have a chance to win gift card prizes! Stay tuned for more details from your Family Specialist. We can’t wait to see you there!

Keep shining. The world needs your light.

Warmly,

The Caregiving Youth Project Team

This month’s Lunch & Learn sessions put the spotlight on an important health topic: Alzheimer’s disease. We loved sharing helpful info and meaningful conversations with you!

Be sure to stop by the lunchroom tables, say hi to your Family Specialist, and don’t forget to bring a friend along. Learning together is better, and you never know, you might help a friend get connected with support they didn’t even know was available!



We encourage all students to join in, connect with your Family Specialists, meet new friends, and keep those meaningful peer connections strong 😊.

We recently welcomed back Terrell Termidor, a former CYP student who was visiting from Hawaii, where he now lives.

When Terrell was in middle school, he was part of the Caregiving Youth Project at Palm Springs Middle School. At home, he helped care for his brother, who had serious medical needs and used a wheelchair. Caring for his brother was a big responsibility, and it affected his daily life.

During that time, Terrell was part of a Skills Building group led by Lynne Durbin, a counselor who worked with CYP in its early years. Dr. Connie Siskowski and Lynne visited Terrell’s home and saw how much care his family was providing.

AACY helped arrange for a ramp to be built at the house. This made it safer and easier for Terrell and his mom, who no longer had to carry his brother up and down the steps.

Terrell later graduated from high school and went on to take new steps in his life. This visit was a reminder that CYP students are supported in real ways and remembered long after they leave the program.

We're here to support you on your caregiving journey. We'll share fun and educational content, inspiring stories from caregivers who are students or people around the world who are trying to help, and reminders that you're not alone. Thank you for all that you do for your family.

All students in the Caregiving Youth Project help care for someone in their family. That person might be a parent, grandparent, sibling, or another loved one. Caregiving can look different in every home, but these facts are true for many students in CYP.

1. Caregiving Is Real Work

Helping with daily tasks, health needs, or household responsibilities is real work. It takes time, effort, and focus. Many adults do not see this work, but that does not make it less important.

2. Caregiving Uses Skills You Already Have

Caregiving often means paying attention, noticing changes, helping problem solve, and staying calm when things are hard. These are skills you use every day, even if you have never named them that way.

3. Caregiving Can Be Heavy

Helping someone you love can be tiring and stressful. Some days are harder than others. Feeling worn out, frustrated, or quiet does not mean you are failing. It means the work is demanding.

4. Caregiving Is Not Something You Choose

Most Caregiving Youth did not ask for this role. It happened because someone in your family needs care. That is a reality for many students, and it is okay to name that truth.

5. Support Exists Through the Caregiving Youth Project

CYP exists because caregiving can be hard to manage alone. The program provides space to be understood, to get support during the school day, and to connect with adults and other students who know what caregiving is like.

Caregiving Youth do a lot that others do not see.

CYP is here to help carry some of that weight.

Recently, Madeleine Grace Asbell, a high school student in Texas who is working really hard to make sure that the CYP and all Caregiving Youth are recognized, appeared on KVUE Midday News to talk about her experience as a Caregiving Youth.

Madeleine shared what it is like to help care for a family member and why it matters for adults to understand what Caregiving Youth need. She is helping more people learn that many kids and teens take on caregiving responsibilities at home.

At AACY, we are sometimes asked to help connect students with people who want to learn directly from kids who are caregivers. If you are interested in sharing your experience to help other Caregiving Youth be seen and supported, let your Family Specialist know. Speaking up is always your choice. More and more people are looking at ways to recognize you - the more experiences we are able to share, the better!

Stories like Madeleine’s remind us that Caregiving Youth voices matter. Your voice matters too!

Joy can coexist with grief or sorrow, and laughter can share space with pain. There is nothing “wrong” with you if your days feel tough and you need to share your feelings - you’re not a burden, you’re human. ⁠

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Setting the expectation that some days will be hard and others will be easier, that you can hold struggle in one hand and joy in the other, can help you navigate loss, caregiving, and hardship.⁠

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*Repost updated from an Instagram site called Option B | Navigating Grief & Hardship

Join us and spread the word! To participate in our program, Caregiving Youth Project (CYP) participants must reside in Palm Beach County and can be referred through personal outreach, recommendations from school staff, or other organizations. Our support is provided both at school and in the home.

If you are a Caregiving Youth or know someone who is, but they don't live in Palm Beach County, please encourage them to email us at info@aacy.org. We are committed to helping them find resources, no matter where they reside in the United States.

988 Crisis Hotline

We at AACY believe that prioritizing mental health is a year-round endeavor. When you're having a difficult time, it's important to seek help. Thankfully, there is a new phone resource available no matter where you are in the US!: Just dial the 9-8-8 hotline.

This hotline is available 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Don't suffer in silence - get help and keep hope alive.