Sleep-out for charity
“I’m just lucky I have a place to stay”
Year 9 boys came to grips with the harsh realities of homelessness when they slept rough on the School grounds to raise money for charity.
But it did take a while for the novelty of camping out with their mates to wear off.
One boy was seen returning from the school gates with a bag of lollies dropped off by Uber Eats.
A few borrowed mats from the Old Gym to make their stay on a hard surface more bearable.
Another purloined his mate’s shoes to ward off the cold in his sleeping bag.
One dreamt of his family’s normal Saturday night roast dinner as he made himself a chicken, cheese, and salad sandwich in the school kitchen, replicating the meals Trinity students prepare for the Vinnie’s charity night vans every week.
When Maths teacher and organiser Cathy Yarad noticed some of the boys weren’t making sandwiches she encouraged them to do so, only to be told by one: “I’m not hungry right now; I might come in later.”
“I had to say no, you’re homeless; the kitchen is closed later. It doesn’t work that way.”
The 35 boys, accompanied by four staff members, raised more than $1,000 for Dignity, a charity providing crisis accommodation for victims of domestic violence, as part of their community service co-curricular.
They listened intently as Dignity founder and CEO Suzanne Hopman told them stories about some of the 122,000 Australians who are homeless every night.
They heard about:
– a mother who turned up with her three-day-old child, having been told by the father: “If you don’t shut up his screaming, I’ll kill both of you.”
– a 94-year-old man whose son had used his house as collateral for a failed business and ended up on the street, and
– an 18-year-old who had been made to sleep on a dog’s bed on his grandfather’s verandah, and subsequently lived in 43 different homes.
Kayler McDonald (10Ta) said the experience had made him more thankful, glad, and appreciative.
“I’m just lucky that I have a place to stay. A lot of the time it’s not really their fault; it’s just the situation they’re in. They are human; they should be treated like a real person. Don’t treat them like they’re not there.
“Sometimes it’s bad choices but other times it could be a series of bad events.”
Staff on the sleepout were Mrs Yarad, Director of Co-curricular Lachlan White, Activities Master Andrew Payne, and English teacher Rosey Stewart.
Year 8 and 9 students perform regular community service either assisting with primary sports on weekends, writing life stories for residents of a nearby nursing home, or raising money to fight Batten’s neurological disease.
Older students knit blankets for charities and make sandwiches for Vinnies.
“I hope this makes them realise how lucky they are,” said Mrs Yarad.
“We often find that the students who make sandwiches for Vinnies have no idea who the sandwiches are going to. If you are cold and hungry you need to eat something, and I hope this makes them understand the importance of nourishment.
“It took a while for the reality to sink in that they were doing something some kids were faced with for real.
“It was a good experience, and they behaved themselves in a way that means we can probably do it on a bigger scale next year.”
This article originally appeared in our December 2024 Edition of Trinity News which you can
view on our online digital bookshelf.
