Media Kit
Welcome to Little Dreamers! Here’s a little glimpse into who we are, what we do, and the incredible Young Carers at the heart of it all. Explore our logos, photos, videos and other media resources below — and if you need anything else, get in touch with us at marketing@littledreamers.org.au.
Little Dreamers in 30 seconds
Around one in ten Australian children and young people provides unpaid care for a family member living with disability, illness or the impacts of ageing. For some Young Carers, those responsibilities can mean missing school, sitting out extracurricular activities, or simply having less time to be a kid.
Little Dreamers cares for the carers. Through education, mental health, social connection and personal development support, we help Young Carers feel less alone and have the opportunities they need to thrive.
Today, Little Dreamers reaches nearly 5,000 Young Carers annually, with 98% reporting positive outcomes from their involvement in our programs. By 2035, our goal is to provide that level of support to more than 20,000 Young Carers across Australia every year.
Young Carers 101
Who is a Young Carer?
A Young Carer is a person under the age of 25 who provides unpaid care and support to a family member affected by disability, chronic or mental illness, substance use, or frail age.
Young Carers can be found in families and communities across Australia — but many remain unrecognised in their caring role.
Young Carers in Australia
390,000+
Young Carers under the age of 25 live in Australia.
~150,000
are children and young people under the age of 18.
Up to 16%
of Year 11 students identify as Young Carers.
Who do Young Carers care for?
There is no single Young Carer experience. Young Carers may support a parent, sibling, grandparent or another family member — and many care for more than one person.
In our Annual Young Carer Survey, Little Dreamers Young Carers told us:
Who they care for
- 46% care for a sibling
- 23% care for a parent
- 2% care for a grandparent
- 28% care for more than one person
Why their family member needs care
- 41% care for someone with autism spectrum disorder
- 38% care for someone with a mental health condition
- 26% care for someone with a physical disability
- 23% care for someone with an intellectual disability
- 17% care for someone with a chronic illness
The impact of caring
Caring can be an incredibly meaningful part of a young person’s life. But when caring responsibilities are significant — particularly without adequate support — they can affect a Young Carer’s education, financial security, wellbeing and opportunities.
1–1.5 years behind
Young Carers are typically between one and one-and-a-half years behind their peers in reading and numeracy.
Greater financial hardship
Young Carers are more likely to experience financial hardship than their peers, which can further affect their access to education, employment and other opportunities.
Behind every number is a young person whose caring role may be largely invisible to their school, workplace, community — and sometimes even to themselves.
About Little Dreamers
Our story began with a simple question: “Who cares for the carers?”
Little Dreamers Founder and CEO, Maddy Buchner, was just nine years old when she began asking that question. Growing up, Maddy helped care for her younger brother, who lived with a range of chronic illnesses, and her mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Through her own experience, Maddy recognised something that would go on to shape the future of Little Dreamers: while significant support existed for people receiving care, the young people providing that care could easily be overlooked.
She began raising awareness and funds through community events and stalls, determined to make Young Carers more visible and better supported.
Today, Little Dreamers is one of Australia’s leading Young Carer organisations, supporting Young Carers and their families across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. Through programs spanning mental health and wellbeing, education, social connection, respite and personal development, we help Young Carers access the support, opportunities and community they need to thrive.
More than 17 years after that first question was asked, it continues to guide our work: Who cares for the carers? We do.
Little Dreamers’ Impact
Every year, Little Dreamers helps thousands of Young Carers access the support, connection and opportunities they deserve.
In FY2024–25:
2,030 Young Carers
received support across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
23,592 hours
of support were delivered to Young Carers through Little Dreamers programs and services.
1,315 new applications
for support were received from Young Carers and their families.
3,300+ volunteer hours
were contributed by our incredible volunteers to help make our programs possible.
Meet Our CEO
Maddy Buchner OAM
Founder & CEO, Little Dreamers Australia
Born and raised in Melbourne, Maddy Buchner OAM is an entrepreneur and social innovator with a passion for creating change for people often overlooked in the Australian community, particularly Young Carers.
Maddy grew up as a Young Carer for both her younger brother, who lived with chronic illness, and her mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her own experience opened her eyes to the lack of recognition and support available to young people with caring responsibilities and ultimately inspired her to found Little Dreamers Australia at the age of 16.
Under Maddy’s leadership, Little Dreamers has grown into one of Australia’s leading Young Carer organisations, delivering programs, support and advocacy designed to improve the wellbeing, opportunities and futures of Young Carers and their families. Her work has also contributed to growing recognition of Young Carers in Australia and internationally.
Maddy’s leadership and social impact have been recognised through a number of prestigious honours. In 2017, she was named a Queen’s Young Leader, completing an international leadership development program and receiving her award medal from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. She was selected as a Westpac Social Change Fellow in 2018 and, in 2019, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in recognition of her service to the community. In 2023, Maddy was named Young Victorian of the Year, and in 2024 she became a Churchill Fellow, furthering her work and learning in the Young Carer sector.
Outside Little Dreamers, Maddy loves travelling, reading and meeting new people — interests that reflect the same curiosity and connection that have shaped her work from the beginning.
Little Dreamers’ Logos
Please don’t recolour, crop, stretch or alter our logo.
Photo Library
The images below have been approved for external use in connection with Little Dreamers Australia and our work supporting Young Carers.
When using these images, please credit Little Dreamers Australia and ensure they are presented in a way that respectfully represents Young Carers and their experiences. Please do not alter images in a way that changes their meaning or use them to promote unrelated organisations, products or causes.
For other uses, higher-resolution files or questions about permissions, please contact marketing@littledreamers.org.au.
Talking About Young Carers
The way we talk about Young Carers matters. When sharing their stories, we aim to represent their experiences accurately, respectfully and in their own words wherever possible.
Who is a Young Carer?
In Australia, a Young Carer is a person under the age of 25 who provides unpaid care and support to a family member affected by disability, chronic or mental illness, substance use, or frail age.
Young Carers are young people first.
Being a Young Carer is an important part of someone’s experience, but it doesn’t define everything about them. Young Carers have their own interests, friendships, ambitions, strengths and identities beyond their caring role.
Caring isn’t inherently negative.
Many Young Carers value their caring relationships and take pride in the support they provide. Caring can build strong relationships, empathy, independence and valuable life skills. At the same time, significant caring responsibilities can affect a young person’s education, wellbeing, social connections and opportunities — particularly when they don’t have enough support.
Young Carers are neither victims nor superheroes.
We avoid framing Young Carers as helpless because of their circumstances, but we also avoid celebrating their resilience in ways that minimise the challenges they may face. Young Carers shouldn’t have to be extraordinary to deserve recognition and support.
Let Young Carers tell their own stories.
Every caring experience is different. Wherever possible, we centre the voices, experiences and perspectives of Young Carers themselves rather than making assumptions about how caring affects them.
Respect privacy and safeguarding.
Please only use Young Carer names, stories, quotes, photographs and videos provided or approved by Little Dreamers for external use. Content involving Young Carers should always be shared with dignity and with appropriate consent and safeguarding in place.
Ways to Support Little Dreamers
There are so many ways to help us create a world where every Young Carer is supported to dream big and thrive.
Little Dreamers is a lean organisation committed to making every dollar, partnership and volunteer hour count. Each year, almost 500 incredible volunteers contribute their time and skills to help us deliver programs and support Young Carers across Australia — and we’re always excited to welcome more people into our community.
Volunteer with us
Our volunteers are an essential part of Little Dreamers. There are opportunities to support our programs, events and Young Carers in a range of ways throughout the year.
Partner with us
We work with businesses and organisations to create partnerships that deliver genuine impact. Opportunities can include program sponsorship, corporate giving, workplace fundraising, skilled volunteering and hands-on corporate volunteering experiences.
Donate
Every contribution helps us reach more Young Carers and provide the support they need. Little Dreamers has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, meaning eligible donations of $2 or more are tax deductible in Australia. We welcome individual and corporate donations, as well as other forms of giving, including gifts of shares and other assets.
Fundraise for us
Get creative! Schools, workplaces, community groups and individuals have supported Little Dreamers through everything from colour runs and community events to workplace challenges and their own fundraising ideas. If you have an idea, we’d love to hear it.
Have another idea?
The sky really is the limit. If you’d like to support Little Dreamers through a partnership, sponsorship, volunteering, fundraising or something we haven’t thought of yet, get in touch at marketing@littledreamers.org.au and we’ll connect you with the right member of our team.
Media & Interview Enquiries
Working on a story, planning an interview or looking to learn more about Young Carers? We’d love to hear from you!
Our team can help with media interviews, expert commentary, information and statistics, program stories and access to Little Dreamers representatives. Where appropriate, we can also explore opportunities to hear directly from Young Carers and their families, with the appropriate consent and safeguarding in place.
For media enquiries, interviews or additional resources, please contact marketing@littledreamers.org.au.
