THE BIG SLEEPOUT

Not even the State Premier’s declaration of ‘Code Blue’ extreme weather warning of Friday 4th August deterred 20 Charles Campbell students from sleeping rough - all in the cause of raising awareness and funding to alleviate poverty and homelessness with the St Vincent de Paul Society.
“We are sacrificing one night of comfort whereas over 6,000 South Australians do not have the luxury of choice,” said organising teacher Mr Glasson.
“I am proud of each of the students and supervising teachers that expressed an interest, dedicated their time and engaged with the sleep-out.  For those that attended, it will be an experience I am sure they won’t forget.”  Since the 2011 Census, reports are pointing to a rise of homeless Australians by 20 per cent, higher costs of living, increased challenges in the management of mental health and a rise of under-employment contributing to fuel this growth. 
“We chose to raise money for Vinnies. They have a huge local presence, providing emergency assistance and support, and even work with several of our families.”  Last year Vinnies gave assistance to nearly 2 million Australians, providing over 1.5 million meals and nearly 700,000 with a night of emergency accommodation. The money raised from students and teachers will contribute to this.
“I can’t imagine sleeping rough every day,” said co-organiser Holly Fennell after the event, “the whole experience was eye-opening.”
“It was great to be able to support Vinnies and to raise awareness of homelessness throughout our school. I hope that students in the future get to participate in events like this so their experience and understanding might influence an action to further address this growing problem.”