Dunhelen

                                                                  Mrs Francis Scuderi

Year 8 Workshop

This week, the Year 8 students were fortunate to have a Zoom workshop from the 'Big Issue Classroom'. Students were going to visit them while on City Experience and as this could not happen the workshop was brought to them. The session was about learning that homelessness affects a wide variety of people and that we need to break down the stereotypes of homelessness. Students learnt firsthand from people who have experienced homelessness.  These lessons provide an insight into the needy in our own state and, while confronting, very necessary for people to know about, acknowledge, and in some cases, help.

 

Amaya C

“The Big Issues workshop was a great experience for myself and others in Year 8 to learn about what homelessness actually is. Taking part in this workshop gave me the chance to learn about how the ‘Big Issues’ community helps those that are homeless, disadvantaged and marginalised by giving them the chance to work and sell the Big Issue Magazines leaving them with a profit with each purchase made. Something I learnt was how different being homeless is as compared to the stereotypes that we hear often, such as ‘all people that are homeless live on the streets’, these stereotypes influence others into thinking that this is the main contributing factor to homelessness. However, it is not always the case, some factors can include addictions, domestic violence, family problems and natural disasters. Out of 116,000 people who are homeless, on average 93% sleep somewhere indoors whether it’s in a shelter or even in abandoned buildings. Unfortunately, the other 7% do actually end up sleeping somewhere outside such as streets or in alleyways. Finally, we were able to talk to someone who experienced being homeless themselves and he was able to talk to us about his experience overcoming a large obstacle in his life. Even though we were not able to physically visit the Big Issues classroom, I am grateful that we got the chance and were still able to learn a lot of valuable information about how we as a community can help even if it’s just by saying hi.”

  

Peter D

I really enjoyed the big issues classroom and found it very educational. It helped me understand that homeless isn’t a choice and how the homelessness stereotype isn’t really accurate to how homelessness is for those experiencing it and those helping to stop the cycle.

 

Maricruz H

I was surprised at how many young people under the age of 18 were actually homeless. I did not think that the percentage would be so high.

 

Leah H

I liked the presentation. I found it interesting that a lot more homeless men sell the Big Issue magazine than women. I did not realise that women do not sell the magazine because they feel threatened and the fear of violence and so they have other initiatives for them.

 

Lana G

I enjoyed the Big Issue presentation. It was interesting to hear Phil’s story and the struggles and difficulties he faced every day. It made me realise how every homeless person has a story.

 

Michael Z

I thought the presentation was eye-opening as the statistics that were shown were against the typical perceptions of what we see. The guest speaker’s story was quite different to what we normally think of homeless people.

 

Pierre S

I found the presentation interesting, and it changed my perspective regarding homeless people.

 

Darryn G

I learnt that The Big Issue looks after most homeless people by providing vendors with magazines to sell on the street. I also learnt that there are more men than women that are selling the magazines on the street.

 

Jacob C

I learnt that homelessness is not just people who sit on the street begging but people who are having a rough time at life. The way to understand homelessness is to put yourself in their shoes, how would you feel if you were homeless? 

 

Ashley L

I learnt that there was not just one issue to homelessness that there were many. As the Guest speakers explained how there are stereotypes to homelessness eg. everyone sleeping on the street, dirty clothes and things like that. I also learnt that people do not make the choice to be homeless and some of the options there are to help them are not too safe. Listening to these people really taught me what it means to be homeless and the struggles that come with it.

 

Peter P

During the presentation, I learnt that there are many different sites you can use in order for support. I also learnt that the percentage of homelessness is high throughout Australia. I was unaware leading to this presentation of some of the causes of homelessness and how much these homeless people cost the community ($20,000 - $40,000). I also did not know the different categories and types of homelessness (eg. living rough, temporary housing, etc.). This allowed me to realise how big of an issue this is not just in our country but also around the world and the ways people are trying to fix this currently.

 

Jayda C

We learnt that homeless or disadvantaged people buy the ‘Big Issue’ magazines for $4.50 and sell them for $9. They can then keep $4.50 for themselves. When we went into the lesson most people had a stereotypical idea of what a homeless person acted and looked like. That being they had drug and alcohol addictions and therefore this was the reason they were on the streets, but we soon found out that this was not the case. In fact, the most common reason for homelessness in Australia is domestic violence. Many students also thought that being homeless meant that people slept and lived on the streets, but once again we were incorrect. We found out that being homeless meant you did not have a permanent residence anywhere. 93% of people who are homeless stay in homeless shelters, couch surf or stay in boarding houses and only 7% of them sleep rough which means they sleep outdoors in the elements. A man named Peter J came to speak to us on our Zoom and told us his story about his struggles with addiction and how this made him homeless. He then told us that The Big Issue helped him get back on his feet and that he might not have everything he wants but he has everything he needs. Peter J also told us that giving a homeless person a smile and a wave can go a very long way. 

Student Wellbeing

Years ago, if someone had written a novel describing what we are living through at the moment I think a lot of us would have said it was farfetched. Yet here we are, and the most that we should be grateful for is that we are all safe and healthy.

 

Our assemblies in the last couple of weeks have been about focusing on what we have, rather than what we do not have. We have shelter, food, water, good health, love, technology just to name a few things. Students are being reminded to maintain contact, to go outside and do things, to stay indoors and do things and just to generally find the joy in what we do have.

 

The last few weeks, students have been set challenges. These challenges are designed to allow our students to take part in something they may enjoy, perhaps win a prize, and showcase a talent. More importantly, however, we are hoping that it continues to foster a connectedness with the school community. We encourage you to continue to speak to your child about engaging with their classes, assemblies, chapel, teachers, and friends. We are still a community even though we are not together in a physical sense. It is important that the students know that teachers, friends, and the community are here for them and are willing to assist in any way they can. 

 

Students should be continuing to plan their day as a normal school day. This means getting out of bed at the normal school-day time, having breakfast and getting ready to learn. The only change to your child’s timetable is that they do not have a homeroom during Home Learning. School starts at 9am and students should be ready to learn. Typically, students will attend a Zoom, the teacher will explain what they are doing and then students may be told that they can go on with their work independently. Teachers are usually leaving the Zoom lesson open for 50 minutes so that students can pop back on and ask questions or seek assistance. If your child is experiencing difficulties, they should be able to get back on for help. They may be placed in the waiting room as the teacher may be helping another student at the time, so will need to wait. Zooms are generally switched off 10 minutes before the scheduled next class so that students can get a drink of water, look away from the screen, have a stretch and prepare for the next class. Recess and lunch breaks should be spent away from a device and students should be encouraged to go outdoors and do something active for a while.

 

While it is very difficult to try and maintain the same routine that one would when learning onsite, it is very strongly recommended. In fact, maintaining a ‘normal’ routine is important in all areas of life and for all the family. The link below will take you to an article by Reach Out explaining why routines for teens are important and will offer some ideas about what you can do. 

https://parents.au.reachout.com/common-concerns/everyday-issues/things-to-try-exam-stress/helping-your-teen-to-stick-to-a-routine