Anthony Ryan, CEO of Youngcare
RAISE YOUR VOICE A little awareness can go a long way, writes Emmy-Lou McKean. RIGHT ACROSS AUSTRALIA, thousands of young people with high-care needs are living in horrendous conditions without enough infrastructure to support them. But it was one couple’s struggle to find appropriate care that instigated three mates to form non-profit organisation Youngcare in a bid to change a deplorable system. When Shevaune Conry was diagnosed with aggressive multiple sclerosis and quickly required full-time care, her husband Dave was devastated to find he could no longer care for her at home. The only option for Shevaune was to be placed into an aged-care facility at the age of 33. After watching their mate struggle with the limited options available, Matthew Lawson, Nick Bonifant and Simon Lockyer dropped their careers and vowed to help make a difference by starting Youngcare. 16
Sylvia Jeffreys, Youngcare National Ambassador At the end of last year, the former chief executive of the Edmund Rice Foundation, Anthony Ryan, took on the role of CEO at Youngcare. He says he couldn’t believe that issues faced by developing countries were also happening on our doorstep. “When I first came into this role, I thought, ‘This is Australia. This should not be happening’,” Anthony says. “First of all, it shouldn’t be happening on our watch, and it shouldn’t be happening in our suburbs.” A major recurring issue for families caring for a disabled child is when a parent is unable to accept a work promotion or advantage because their child requires their complete attention. “They’ve been dealt this incredibly tough hand of cards, and then all of a sudden they’re facing all these other issues they didn’t realise would be associated with the nightmare that they’ve been thrown into,” he says.
A strong believer in a collaborative approach to raising awareness and funds, Anthony has been putting his energy into scaling up Youngcare’s operations since stepping into the CEO role. Youngcare has positioned themselves with the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme), which will see individuals creating their own care pathways with the support they need. This will greatly assist in the plan to expand Youngcare across Australia and partner with other agencies to support families affected by disability. “Our Youngcare mission, which we truly believe we can achieve, is to completely remove young people from inappropriate residential housing,” Anthony says. “And we think we can solve this issue by 2022.” YOUNGCARE.COM.AU
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AUGUST17