A group of staff and students at St Dunstan’s College, in Catford, London, have raised more than £4,700 for charity following a night sleeping out on the school site.
The group came together to sleep rough on the school site to raise awareness of youth homelessness and to raise money for Centrepoint.
Speaking about the sleep out, St Dunstan’s Headmaster, Mr Nicholas Hewlett, explained: ‘At this time of year, it can be easy to forget those for whom there is little if any joy. Homelessness on our streets is an ongoing and real concern, and a terrible indictment on our society.
‘As a community proud to have compassion as one of its core values, St Dunstan’s seeks, through our broad educational purpose, to help young people see the importance of empathy and relating to those less fortunate than ourselves. For those involved, it helped humble us in our appreciation of the travails faced by so many. For our whole community, it raised awareness of the very real issue of homelessness on our streets.’
Ms Florence Margaroli, Head of Charity at St Dunstan’s, organised the sleep out with the headmaster after being shocked at rising numbers of young people being homeless in the country. ‘After walking back from the carol service, Mr Hewlett and I were shocked and saddened by the number of young people sleeping rough,’ she explained. ‘We got thinking how we could do something to raise awareness of the horrible circumstances and raise money for Centrepoint, which aims to end homelessness by 2037.’
Ms Margaroli added: ‘Sleeping in a cardboard box was an interesting and uncomfortable experience. I was lucky to be surrounded by other people in a safe location. I can’t imagine what it is like for many young homeless individuals who must sleep out on their own in an unsafe and lonely environment.’
Lucy Goble, Mass Participation Fundraising Manager at Centrepoint, said: ‘It’s great to have St Dunstan’s College’s support and we really appreciate the staff and students who got involved, by sleeping out on the school site in the cold winter months. With over 15,000 young people facing homelessness in London, their support is now more important than ever.’
Centrepoint provides homeless young people with a range of support including accommodation, health advice and life skills in order to help them back into education, training and employment.
St Dunstan’s College is committed to supporting others and compassion is one of the school’s five core values. St Dunstan’s recently announced a partnership with Lewisham Council and Westside Young Leaders Academy (WYLA) to establish the Lewisham Young Leaders Academy (LYLA).
The Academy has been established in response to research and evidence showing disparities in attainment and outcomes for Black Caribbean and dual heritage (Black Caribbean/White) children and young people, not just in Lewisham, but throughout London and the UK.
Lewisham Young Leaders Academy will offer additional support to young people from across Lewisham, through transformative teaching in life skills, including leadership, teamwork, presentation skills and CV building.
