Empowering Young Families: Our WILD Day at The Donkey Park
- donnaneely0
- Sep 5
- 3 min read
This summer, our WILD families had a fantastic time visiting The Tamar Valley Donkey Park. Everyone had so much fun, but this day was about more than just a trip out—it was a celebration of teamwork, community and the power of young parent voices.
Before the big day, our WILD parents and the WILD Team worked side by side to design, plan, and organise the event, making sure it was welcoming and accessible for every family.
As young parents, it’s often difficult to afford or access experiences that feel like a luxury. I’m truly grateful for the support and the chance to enjoy this with friends as well.
The first step was securing funding. We were invited to apply for support from Launceston Town Council, which included giving a presentation about how the funding would be used. There’s no one better to share the WILD story than our young parents themselves, so our WILD Workers were joined by two WILD mums for the presentation. The mums spoke honestly and openly about life as young parents, how their own and their babies’ opportunities are shaped, and why extra support is so important. They shared what the funding would mean to them and described the positive impact WILD activities and events have on their families’ wellbeing.
By sharing their experiences, they advocated not just for themselves, but for all young parents in our community. Thanks to their heartfelt presentation, the panel awarded funding to WILD and encouraged us to apply to other partners as well.
With funding in place, families and WILD Workers continued to co-design every part of the visit to The Tamar Valley Donkey Park. Together, we planned everything—from snacks to transport, car seats to meeting points—making sure the trip was as accessible and enjoyable as possible. We checked in with parents on our group chats to see if anyone needed anything extra. On the day, WILD Workers and graduate parents were there to offer practical and emotional support, ensuring everyone could relax and make the most of the experience.
In total, 60 WILD family members joined the trip, including parents, children and extended family and their input and voices made the day even more special.
What our families said:
“Big thank you to all of you at WILD and the funding we get for such a lovely day out — me and my daughter had the best time! The donkey sanctuary was amazing, it was so peaceful and the animals were lovely. The soft play was perfect for my daughter’s age. We really appreciate all the effort you put in—not just for the trips, but every Tuesday as well. The group means a lot to us.”
“Thank you, WILD and Launceston Town Council, for providing us with such an incredible opportunity. As young mums, it’s often difficult to afford or access experiences that feel like a luxury. I’m truly grateful for the support and the chance to enjoy this with friends as well.”
“It was nice to experience animals we don’t normally get to see all the time.”
Back in 1993, a group of young parents came together when they didn’t feel they fit in at traditional mum and baby groups. That gathering became WILD and those parents changed the lives of future young parent families.
Since then, we’ve reached over 20,000 children and young people and the voice of every parent and baby has contributed to our work. Their lived experience is helping to change systems and society, creating a fairer start for young parents and their children.
Read more here: Lived Experience | WILD Young Parents Project
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