The Australian College of Nursing is proud to support Chief Executive Officer, Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward FACN, as she sleeps outside in the Canberra winter for her third year participating in Vinnies CEO Sleepout.
Kylie’s drive to contribute comes from a level of compassion, knowing how homelessness is a systemic issue in the community. A recent report found that between 2011 and 2016, the number of people sleeping rough nearly doubled in Canberra. In spreading the awareness of homelessness and poverty, the widely available services on offer can be promoted before any person finds themselves needing to access those services.
This year as a champion, Kylie attended the launch of the Sleepout on 18 April, along with several other CEO participants, where the location of this year’s Canberra event was revealed: the Garden of Australian Dreams at the National Museum of Australia.
Besides the fact that the National Museum is a national cultural institution, the Garden of Australian Dreams also holds significance to the event it will be hosting this winter – the word ‘home’ is written in 100 different languages on the surface of the rippling floor map which identifies place and country. The CEO Sleepout raises awareness and funds for those sleeping rough in efforts to help change the lives of those experiencing homelessness, poverty and disadvantage.
Vinnies provides essential access to food and accommodation, as well as education, counselling, employment and health services for the thousands of Australians, including hundreds of children, who experience homelessness every night.
It is important for Kylie to represent and honour the nursing profession for the work that nurses do caring for those in need, including the homeless. Nurses see the aspects that affect and impact on a person’s physical and mental health, including access to care, social isolation, housing and basic needs of safety and security. Nurses are also a part of every community and go through life’s struggles like all people.
On Thursday June 21, Kylie will join over 100 other CEOs to sleep without shelter in participation of the 2018 Vinnies CEO Sleepout.
For more information and details on how to donate to Kylie’s efforts for the St Vincent de Paul Society visit: https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/kylie-ward/canberra
Video by Mude.
