WILD partners with Kenora to create a better future for young parents and their babies.
- donnaneely0
- Jun 20
- 3 min read
WILD is very excited to enter a partnership with The Kenora Charitable Foundation.
Kenora is an independent grant-making family trust, created by former young parents Charles and Derica Noall, who grew up in Cornwall.
The trust supports young people across the South of England in education, physical and mental health, and personal and social development.
Kenora has gifted financial support and the expertise and guidance of its Kenora team to our WILD Voices programme.
WILD Voices will give young parents the chance to:
gain valuable knowledge and skills through volunteering, and
shape WILD’s work and future so that we continue to hear and meet the needs of young parents and their babies.
The three-year programme will offer volunteer roles at WILD’s allotment garden, in WILD parent and baby groups and events and as part of the team helping to run WILD, behind the scenes. Young parents can also apply to be WILD trustees or steering group members.
Volunteers will also receive training and support from WILD and other organisations across Cornwall to help them get into work.
It’s important that young parents have these opportunities as it’s hard for them to learn new skills and reach their potential through education, training and work. Alongside juggling parenting, they are dealing with the adversities that come with being a young parent. These are not because of things they have done, but because society doesn’t give young parents and their babies a fair start.
They and their babies are more likely to suffer from poor mental and physical health, now and into the future. Their housing is often unsafe and insecure, and they are more vulnerable to poverty and crime. They are more likely to have experienced childhood trauma, which they will carry with them into adulthood. Because of all this, parents and their babies do not have the same education and life opportunities as other families.
WILD Voices wants to change that by removing some of the barriers young parents face when accessing learning and creating a better future for themselves.
All our supporters are wonderful, but it is especially poignant to work with Charles, Derica and their family. They grew up in Cornwall and became parents at a young age, so they understand how that feels.
On the new partnership, WILD CEO Jo Davis said, “We are very excited to have Kenora on board and are grateful for their support. We know the potential of our young parents, and through WILD Voices, others will, too. They will have the chance to shine in the voluntary, creative, and education sectors and advocate for young parents by contributing to WILD's work.
All our supporters are wonderful, but it is especially poignant to work with Charles, Derica and their family. They grew up in Cornwall and became parents at a young age, so they understand how that feels. 83% of our leadership team and 75% of our WILD workers have experience of young parenthood. But as far as we know, this is the first of our grant makers to have young parents at its helm, which is an exciting development.
Lily Noall-Churchill, Director of Philanthropy at Kenora said “All parents face challenges, but with the right support and community behind them they can overcome these challenges. For young parents there are added barriers they face however, WILD offer compassion, kindness and community to their parents and little ones. We are motivated by the opportunity to help young parents find their voice and to flourish. Our belief is that having happy and fulfilled parents helps children to thrive as they grow up.
We look forward to working with WILD to embed the WILD Voices programme and to see the positive impact it has on young people in Cornwall, an area close to the hearts of all family members at The Kenora Charitable Foundation.”
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