The Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) has launched a campaign to celebrate its 25-year anniversary and its powerful history of collective and individual activism.
CATSINaM will pay tribute to its ancestors, Elders and members over 25 weeks, culminating in a national gala dinner on 20 August 2022, with a series of profile stories, films, webinars, social media and special events.
The #CATSINAM25Years campaign was launched yesterday in a national online webinar with messages of support from founding members, current members, former and current board members, the nursing and midwifery union and the Commonwealth Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Adjunct Professor Alison McMillan.
CATSINaM Chief Executive Officer Professor Roianne West, a descendant of the Kalkadoon and Djaku-nde peoples, said Indigenous nurses and midwives drew on the strength of the organisation’s founders to face current challenges.
“Our model of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community control that our Elders and ancestors envisaged 25 years ago provides a strong foundation and the words ‘Unity and Strength through Caring’ gifted then have guided us through these turbulent times,” Professor West said in a statement.
“Strong Indigenous leadership has helped us navigate some of the profession’s most challenging times – through COVID, bushfires, floods, and Black Lives Matter.
“We are also grateful for the leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives for putting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nursing and midwifery on the national agenda and contributing to national debate and policy on the quality and safety of our health and education systems.”
Croakey Professional Services is supporting the campaign. Please follow the news at this campaign portal and also bookmark this link to stay in touch.
Back to the Fire: a new report
Please download, read and share this 107-page report compiling Croakey Conference News Service coverage of the CATSINaM national conference series, held across many First Nations during 2021 under the theme ‘Back to the Fire’.
The report covers:
- Back to the Fire: the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives
- Calls to action from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives
- Celebrating nursing and midwifery family on Larrakia Country
- Putting the spotlight on racism in healthcare
- Strong messages for health and healing
- Truth-telling, culture and connections
- Hopes for nursing and midwifery apology to Indigenous people after long silence
- Ongoing acts of resistance in research and care for mothers and babies
- Surrounded by culture in nursing and midwifery education
- A journey of healing and belonging.
Follow the #CATSINAM25Years coverage.
