One Night of Homelessness

Thursday, May 19^th was a very chilly night for our Year 10 cohort. They experienced One Night of Homelessness; a night of sleeping rough in the cold Ballarat weather to gain understanding and empathy for the thousands of homeless people around Victoria, including here in Ballarat, and the struggle they face on a daily basis. Boys had to curl up and try to find shelter and warmth to get some sleep, only to be woken up and moved on to another area every hour. This is the reality that many homeless people face, some of whom are the same age or younger than our year 10 boys.

Craig Schepsis, the founder of the Soup Bus, broke down the barriers surrounding the causes of homelessness and how easily someone can find themselves in such a precarious position. He talked about the importance of reaching out and helping those less fortunate than ourselves in any way we can. There are many avenues for volunteering in Ballarat and St Patrick’s College has a wonderful social justice program that we encourage boys to get involved with.

Congratulations to all the boys who made it though the evening and we hope you gained an understanding and some empathy for those who find themselves homeless.