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About Us

Make Life Better

What We Do

Hello! We're Australia’s leading Young Carer organisation, supporting young people who provide unpaid care for a family member affected by disability, chronic or mental illness, substance use or frail age, in VIC, NSW and QLD. Since our launch in 2009, we've become a game changing force in the Young Carer space, developing internationally recognised best practice programs and changing the lives of thousands of Young Carers around Australia.

Across a range of direct support programs, both in-person and online, we're working to improve the quality of life of Young Carers across five key areas of risk: education, employment, mental and physical health, social wellbeing and financial literacy.

A young Maddy and her Co-Founder, Bec, sit proudly in front of a bright blue Little Dreamers poster the is pinned to the wall. The poster features our original Little Dreamers logo (a fairy silhouette holding a wand) and a collage of photos that are too small to decipher. Maddy wears a red beanie and a striped white off the shoulder top, and Bec on the right has long light brown hair and a fringe, with a light grey and pink t-shirt.

Our Story

Our story began when our Founder and CEO was just nine years old and asked the very question that still drives us today, “who cares for the carers?”

Maddy grew up caring for her younger brother, who had a range of chronic illnesses, and her mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer. At nine years of age, she identified a gap in the support system for Young Carers and began to raise awareness through fundraising events and stalls.

Over a decade later and with more than 6,500 young people reached nationwide, Little Dreamers is Australia’s leading Young Carer organisation. Across a range of key support programs co-designed with young people in caring roles, we’re breaking down barriers and empowering youth, with a vision to ensure that every Young Carer around the world is supported by someone or something by the year 2030.

Watch our Documentary
About Us

Young Carers

A Young Carer is someone aged 25 or under who provides care for a family member affected by disability, chronic or mental illness, addiction, or frail age.

We know from experience that being a carer can be an amazing thing. Young Carers often learn compassion, kindness and empathy from having a caring role, and develop an incredible bond with the person they care for. But being a Young Carer can also significantly impact on one’s education, social life, employment and mental and physical health. That’s where we come in!

Did you know?

  • It’s estimated that 1 in 10 young people in Australia are carers
  • Young Carers are twice as likely to be disengaged from work or study than their peers
  • Carers have higher rates of poverty than non carers
  • 2 in 3 Young Carers experience mental health challenges
More statistics

Our Team

Maddy's Headshot
Maddy

Founder and CEO

Erin's Headshot
Erin

People and Culture Manager

Emma's Headshot
Emma

National Marketing and Communications Manager

Laura's Headshot
Laura

Head of Programs

Tasha's Headshot
Tasha

Family Support Manager

Lindsay's Headshot
Lindsay

Executive Manager (Carer Gateway)

Natalie's Headshot
Natalie

National Branding and Communications Manager

Jade's Headshot
Jade

Dream Experience Coordinator

Olivia's Headshot
Olivia

Volunteer Coordinator

Sasha's Headshot
Sasha

Program Lead (VIC)

Lisa's Headshot
Lisa

Program Lead (VIC)

Clara's Headshot
Clara

Regional Program Lead (Lismore)

Amber's Headshot
Amber

Young Carer Engagement Lead

Melanie's Headshot
Melanie

Young Carer Engagement Coordinator

Monika's Headshot
Monika

Family Support Worker (VIC)

Amy's Headshot
Amy

Peer Support Practice Lead

Janine's Headshot
Janine

Young Carer Support Coordinator (Peer Support) Sydney

Brooke's Headshot
Brooke

Young Carer Support Coordinator (Peer Support) Brisbane

Dee's Headshot
Dee

Young Carer Support Coordinator (Peer Support) Bundaberg

Kathryn's Headshot
Kathryn

Young Carer Support Coordinator (Peer Support) Bundaberg

Chantell's Headshot
Chantell

Young Carer Support Coordinator (Peer Support) Toowoomba

Tahnee's Headshot
Tahnee

Coaching Practice Lead

Beck's Headshot
Beck

Young Carer Support Coordinator (Coaching) Brisbane

Kit's Headshot
Kit

Young Carer Support Coordinator (Coaching) Toowoomba

Christina's Headshot
Christina

Young Carer Support Coordinator (Coaching) Bundaberg

Richard's Headshot
Richard

Counselling Practice Lead

Rachel's Headshot
Rachel

Quality and Compliance Lead

Melita's Headshot
Melita

Community Engagement Coordinator (QLD)

Elizabeth's Headshot
Elizabeth

Community Engagement Coordinator (NSW)

Daisy's Headshot
Daisy

Chief Barketing Officer

Our Board

Tom Levi GAICD: Chair's Headshot
Tom Levi GAICD: Chair

Principal at Nous Group

Michael Gilbert: Treasurer's Headshot
Michael Gilbert: Treasurer

Senior Finance Business Partner at Australia Post

Dana Rochwerger's Headshot
Dana Rochwerger

Co-Founder at Not a Pony, Head of Digital and Funday Sweets

Rosie Thomas OAM's Headshot
Rosie Thomas OAM

Co-Founder of PROJECT ROCKIT

Darren Lomman's Headshot
Darren Lomman

Business Owner

Esther Nelson's Headshot
Esther Nelson

Legal Counsel

Our Ambassadors

Elise Pulbrook's Headshot
Elise Pulbrook

Dena Kaplan's Headshot
Dena Kaplan

Ariel Kaplan's Headshot
Ariel Kaplan

Gemma-Ashley Kaplan's Headshot
Gemma-Ashley Kaplan

Little Dreamers Australia

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Our Advocates

Little Dreamers

"Young Carers are some of the most resourceful and resilient people around. Heavy responsibilities rest on their shoulders and they face and overcome challenges, often daily, that most adults would struggle to solve. We should champion all children and young people in caring roles, recognise their talent and support them to have the choices and freedom that the rest of us take for granted."

Little Dreamers

"There is an emerging consensus that around 10% of children and young people are Young Carers. They are involved in various caring roles for an ill or disabled relative/parent in their family, such as showering them, helping them to the toilet, keeping an eye on them, etc. These children represent a hidden army of young people who are also family carers. They will be on your street, in your community, in your schools . . . . can you see them yet?"

Little Dreamers

"If you’re a young adult caregiver, I implore you to share your story. Make yourself known. This may mean opening up to a friend, forming an online peer support group, or meeting with your state representative. Whatever you do, however seemingly big or small, is incredibly important in ensuring that the world knows that you serve an invaluable role as a young adult caregiver. Your acts of sacrifice are courageous and inspiring, particularly in a society that increasingly argues that today’s millennials are selfish and narcissistic. You are irreplaceable. You matter."

Meet Elizabeth πŸ‘‹

We`re super excited to welcome her to the team as our new Community Engagement Coordinator in NSW!

Elizabeth would describe herself as friendly, passionate and curious. Her ultimate Dream Experience is to spend the day with a zookeeper working with the elephants 🐘

Elizabeth is excited to start working in the community to continue raising awareness, developing new partnerships, and broadening support for Young Carers. Watch this space πŸ‘€
...

We thought we’d throw it all the way back to our Big Dreamers 2020 cohort πŸš€

Despite the challenges of a global pandemic, this incredible group bonded like family, and when we reunited for our final retreat, it was nothing short of EPIC! πŸŽ‰

Why are we sharing this now? Because we’re gearing up for our next Big Dreamers program starting this April in VIC, and we want YOU to be part of the magic! 🌈

πŸ‘‰ Register for our info session: bit.ly/bigdreamers-march24
πŸ‘‰ Express your interest in the program: formstack.io/7B35F

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to be part of something truly extraordinary πŸ’«
...

Calling all unpaid carers across Australia! ✨

Your experiences matter. Complete the Carer Wellbeing Survey to ensure your voice is heard.

Your insights will help Carers Australia and the government tailor support to meet your unique needs.

Let’s work towards a brighter, supported future. Visit the @carers_au website for more information.

πŸ‘‰ www.carersaustralia.com.au/carer-wellbeing-survey/
...

Young Carer Scholarship applications are now open! πŸ“£

Presented by @carersvictoria, scholarships of up to $500 are awarded to Young Carers to help them participate in school or community-based activities that can enhance skills, boost educational achievements, and empower them to fully engage in the community πŸš€

If you (or someone you know!) is a secondary school student who supports a mother, father, sibling or grandparent because of a disability, mental illness, chronic health issue or aging care needs - apply now or spread the word!

πŸ‘‰ https://ow.ly/S9b650QJ0rF
...

We are so honoured to be part of Bespoken`s incredible new `Be-Causes` initiative.

The way the program works is simple - each time a new client joins their agency, they will make a one-off donation to whichever cause the client nominates as their beneficiary.

We`ve had loads of fun collaborating with the team to make this possible, and we`re so excited to follow the journey of this program!

Thank you to Bespoken for putting humans at the centre of your work ❀️

Find out more: www.bespokenagency.com.au/be-causes/
...

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