Category: Celebration and Events

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Stand Together Day: Sharing Their Stories

by: Susie Holt

Today is not your average day.  Today is Stand Together Day and to celebrate, our team are pushing away our comfy work chairs to stand up for the workday.  As we do, we’ll be remembering the 122,000 Australians who will be without a safe home tonight, many of them hidden from sight.

Many people who are experiencing homelessness are what we call the “hidden homeless”.  People who don’t have a secure, safe home of their own, but find a place to sleep on couches, futons and in spare rooms of people in their world, supporting them in their difficult time.  As we discussed this recently as a team of Christian broadcasters, we discovered that, without realising it, multiple people in the room had experienced hidden homelessness.

For eight years and nearly 2500 episodes, Luke Holt was networked across 27 Christian Radio stations as a part of the Luke and Susie radio show. Luke and Susie have three sons and live what they would describe as a happy life in a happy and safe home. However, on his 23rd birthday Luke sat homeless at a train station in the western suburbs of Sydney with no money, no friends or family, no options.

Luke’s story highlights that hidden homelessness can happen to anyone.  Complete strangers chose to stand together with a young and broken man.  

Ashley remembers her first experience of homelessness when she was four years old. Throughout most of her childhood and teen years, Ashley faced ongoing struggles with mental health, tragic life events, and family conflict. Growing up, home was never a safe place. As an adult, Ashley pursued further study in community services. When she came across the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – a document written by the UN over 75 years ago, Ashley caught her first glimpse of the life she deserves to live. For the first time in her life, she believed she was worthy.

Today, Ashley applies her lived experience in her role at Mission Australia, offering real hope that has lasting impact. Ashley’s story highlights that there is hope to end homelessness in Australia if we choose to stand together.

On this Stand Together Day, we’re encouraging you to remember those who are experiencing homelessness and consider what you can do to be a part of the solution.  Mission Australia’s goal is to see the end of homelessness in Australia.  It can be done, if we stand together to ensure all Australians have a safe place to call home. 

Nominate someone now. 

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Stand Together Day Awards: Who Will You Vote For?

By: Susan Holt

Inspired by the work of Mission Australia with Australia’s homeless community, the 2024 Stand Together Day Awards give you the opportunity to nominate someone who stood alongside you during a difficult moment in your life and honour their role in your story.

Every day, Mission Australia is working towards a goal of ending homelessness in Australia, delivering homelessness crisis and prevention services, collaborating with people in need to tackle the root causes of their challenges.

Mission Australia have been committed to standing together with Australians experiencing homelessness since 1859.  In 2023, over 149,000 people were served through their tireless efforts.

As such, Mission Australia know how important it is to have someone stand alongside those who are struggling in life and, along with Christian Media and Arts Australia, have created the Stand Together Day Awards.

The Stand Together Day Awards exists to honour the people in your world who have stood with you, providing support through a challenging time that you have faced.  All of us at some point face difficult times and all too often these times come unexpectedly.  

We want to hear the stories of those who, like Mission Australia, have provided practical support and stood with you as you faced your most challenging times.  Our hope is that through hearing these inspirational stories, we’ll see more and more people recognise their capacity to make a difference for those around them.

To make your nomination for the Stand Together Day Awards, fill in the nomination form here and tell us about you and the person you are nominating.  Together, you could be heading to the Gold Coast, expenses paid, to receive the Stand Together Day Award at a special event, hosted by Christian Media and Arts Australia.

To find out more about Mission Australia and pray for their work, click here.