ST VINNIE'S SCHOOL SLEEPOUT

This week we have a special feature from one of our Year 10 students, Tolu Osunneye who participated in the St Vincent de Paul (Vinnie's) School Sleepout on September 1st 2023. Tolu shared her experience at assembly last Friday, and it was so well articulated that we thought to share this with the broader MacKillop College community! 

On Friday 1st of September, myself and some other students in Year 7-10 participated in the Vinnies’ School Sleepout. This was an opportunity to sleep rough for the night in the Jubilee Centre and put ourselves in the shoes of the homeless and less fortunate in our community. 

Over the night we participated in a wide range of things during our sessions such as attending an online presentation by Taylor from St Vincent de Paul, playing games and an activity based on homelessness. During this time, we got to learn about the origin of St Vincent De Paul, also known as St Vinnies, and all the services they provide, as well as looking into how homeless people can vary from those in overcrowded homes to those in cars and sleeping on the streets. 

We were also informed about the stereotypes of homeless people in an activity we took part in. In that session, we were asked to close our eyes and imagine a homeless person. The majority of us imagined an older man. However, we found out that it’s a common misconception that young people aren’t homeless. Statistics show that over 24,000 Victorians don’t have a safe place to call home, and experience some form of homelessness. About 25% of those people are aged 12-24. Most of us in the room were in that age bracket! 

Long after our dinner and activities, we got ready to sleep. Originally, we would have slept on the Red Court but due to weather conditions we slept in the Jubilee Centre. We were extremely lucky because in a realistic situation for someone sleeping rough, they would have no choice but to remain outdoors. We slept in sleeping bags and used cardboard as insulation, shelters and support. 

In my personal experience, it was quite difficult to fall asleep at first as I was used to being comfortable in my bed rather than attempting to be cosy on the cold floor. I woke up a few times during the night, incredibly sore. By the time breakfast was being served, I was ready to just go home already. Thankfully after a long night, we all went home by 7:30am. 

Overall, it was a great experience and an amazing opportunity. It’s so important that we don't take for granted what we have since things can switch up so easily. As difficult as it was for us to sleep rough for one night, we have to consider the people who have no options but to live like that. 

On behalf of all the participants, we thank Gerry for organising the sleepout, as well as all the teachers: Ms Curtis, Mr Jetson and Ms Howison who supervised, and Helen, Joelle and Josie from Holy Family Parish North East Mallee for providing us dinner for the night.