Build Your Adventure: a journal for dreaming big

We’ve partnered with 21 Gifts to help families celebrate their child’s arrival from day one. Founded by Ingerlise Svaleng, 21 Gifts is a charity that delivers beautifully crafted suitcases to families following their child’s diagnosis of Down syndrome or cerebral palsy – a way of saying congratulations and celebrating all the possibilities ahead.

Together, we’ve created Build Your Adventure, a journal that goes inside every suitcase. It invites parents to dream big about their family’s future, and to notice the village already forming around their child: like the neighbour who always stops for a chat, the swimming coach who just gets them, or the family friend who makes everyone laugh.

Now we’ve made the journal available as a free digital PDF, so any family can use it. While it’s written with new parents in mind, its ideas, like dreaming big about your family’s future and surrounding yourself with people who share your values, are ones every family can bring to their own adventure.

Grounded in positive psychology

Inspired by Ingerlise’s background in positive psychology and her own experience as a mum, Build Your Adventure starts where the best adventures do, with your hopes and values. It encourages families to dream big about the life they want, then build a village of people who fit that life and bring out the best in your family along the way.

“Whenever I’m deciding who to welcome into our family’s life, I think about our values. The people we invite into our family should feel like they belong, understand what matters most to us, and bring out the best in all of us,” Ingerlise says.

There’s no wrong way to use it. Skip pages, write in the margins and come back to it whenever you like.

Help new faces get to know your child

Alongside the journal, we’ve created a poster for you to fill in together, all about who your child is and what makes them unique.

As your child grows and new people join their adventure, you can use it to introduce them. It’s a lovely way to help the people in your village get to know your child for exactly who they are.

Supporting families from day one

Our partnership with 21 Gifts brings together two halves of the same thing, as Ingerlise and our founder Jane Morrell put it. 21 Gifts welcomes families with hope and possibility from the very start, and when they’re ready, we support them to turn the people already in their lives into official, employed Support Workers, so the people they know and trust can continue to be part of their child’s life as they grow.

We’re also proud to be covering the delivery costs of the next 300 suitcases, with our friends at frank green adding a reusable coffee cup to each one.

Ready to chat?

If you’re thinking about turning some of the people in your village into official, employed Support Workers, our friendly team is only a phone call away. Call us on 1300 729 839.