Radford SleepOut

By Scott Corbett, Director of Service Learning

On the (cold, 4 degrees) night of Tuesday, 24 May, 45 brave students, along with six staff, slept outdoors in front of the Years 5/6 building.

The group spent the night empathising with the experience of “sleeping rough”, something that thousands of Australians face each night. They had soup for dinner (generously prepared by the teamSUPPORT boys) and participated in some powerful immersion activities led by St Vincent De Paul. This saw the group explore the challenges faced by people living with homelessness, as well as the most common causes of homelessness.

After a very cold night spent in sleeping bags and cardboard forts, the group had a BBQ breakfast cooked by College Captain Patrick Walker and our very own Master Chef, Dr Johnson. The students then faced a weary day at school, having a first-hand experience of how difficult it is to operate with such disrupted sleep.

Donate to Vinnies CEO Sleepout

The SleepOut provided a rich learning experience for all the staff and students who participated. We are seeking donations in honour of the group's commitment. All donations will go directly to Vinnies and will help support people who are living with homelessness. You can make an online donation here, which will go towards Deputy Principal Mr Andy Gordon's tally for the CEO Sleepout, which he is participating in on 23 June.

A special thank you to the staff (Erica Whitby, Timo Pyeon, Tristan Thomas, Tom Milenovic and Principal Fiona Godfrey), as well as special guests Jessie James and Jasper Jones, Fiona’s pet dogs, who kept us company on the night.

Sleepout May 2022 - Cardboard forts and FG dogs
Cardboard forts were one coping mechanism, and Principal Fiona Godfrey had the warmth and company of her two beloved dogs, Jasper and Jessie

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