Club Meeting on 11/03/26

Club Meeting on 11/03/26

After an enjoyable lunch proceedings began with the induction of a new member, John Glass.  John was a club member some years ago and has now rejoined us.  President Peter Sherred was pleased to welcome John to the Rotary Club of South Foreland and looked forward to his contribution to the club in future.

This was followed by a brief description from guest Terry Cook from Folkestone Rotary Club about the progress they have made with Corporate Membership. Four organisations have joined since May 2025 and two more are in the pipeline.  Terry gave an insight into what is involved in establishing Corporate Membership as well as the benefits to the club and the organisations.

The main business of the meeting was a talk by Dawn Foulkes, who with Laura Graham, started the Dover SmArt Project 13 years ago.  She was accompanied by Amy who from the age of 11 was a young carer supported by the SmArt Project and is now at university with the dream of becoming a vet.

Dover SmArt Project aims to provide opportunities for disadvantaged children, mainly young carers, living in Dover, to take part in creative activities and experiences to boost their confidence, enhance their wellbeing and raise their aspirations. The organisation sees itself as an integral part of the community, supporting carers not just in the short term but for life.

The Project started with one young carer and the club met in the Clocktower on Saturday mornings. As the numbers grew it was necessary to have two clubs, one for the younger children and one for the older ones. From those beginnings the Project now supports 340 young carers and considers the needs of the family and even grandparents, as well as the needs of the carer. It has also developed a variety of clubs not just for Young Carers but for other age groups.  Examples are the Art of Age Group, the Cancer Support Group, a Club for 18 to 25 year olds, and a Community Engagement Group.

Dover Town is an area of socio-economic deprivation and in the bottom 5% of deprived areas in the country.  There are also pockets of deprivation in other parts of the district between the more affluent areas.  Because of this deprivation there is a great need for the work of Dover SmArt Project which, though run as a business has workers who care from the heart. Dawn certainly spoke from the heart with enthusiasm and compassion. 

She told us that today, the 11^th March, is a special day as it is Young Carers Awareness Day and that the theme for 2026 is ‘Is there a future?’  Is there a future for disadvantaged young carers? They do not have equality, but Dover SmArt Project is working for a fairer society.

The charity’s engagement with young people has been increased by their schools’ programme, with schools being required to support young carers who are now classed as vulnerable.  Ofsted looks at how schools identify and support young carers so schools are now more interested in the help provided by the SmArt Project.  The schools’ programme involves presentations to staff and assemblies with students.

The five Dover secondary schools are involved at present and next year all the Dover primary schools will be targeted.  In the following year all other schools in the district will be included, which will be a step in the direction of equality for young carers.

Over 50% of these young carers are living with parents who suffer from mental illness, and some with addictions.  SmArt offers non-judgemental and consistent care from their 10 workers who go above and beyond their role.  All are women as the job fits around their family life but it is a hard job, involving difficult conversations with families and with Social Services.  Parents are often tired, overwhelmed and lacking in knowledge, but not neglectful.  Mental health is a common problem and workers can need help for this, but there is a huge amount of goodwill from staff as they try to improve the lives of young carers.

Funding is mainly from grants and the charity’s fundraiser does a great job in securing funds and using money wisely. Funds have been secured from Children in Need and the National Lottery as well as from local organisations such as Social Enterprise Kent, Port of Dover Community Fund and Colyer Fergusson Charitable Trust.  The Smart Project also works in partnership with other organisations which support it, such as DFDS, WW Electricals, Park Farm Construction and Emmaus.

As well as 10 trustees and 10 workers, there are 19 volunteers in the care group.  The youngest of the volunteers is 16 and the oldest is 83.  The work of the charity has greatly increased, particularly in the last year, and this is likely to continue as the charity expands its schools’ programme which will enable the lives of more young carers and their families to be improved.