A chilly winter’s night was not enough to stop 36 Thomas Carr College students swapping their warm beds for the floor of the school gym in an effort to help people experiencing homelessness.
The students and six teachers braved Friday night’s cool temperatures to take part in the school’s annual winter sleepout to raise money for Vinnies.
This is the fourth year the school has held the sleepout, with year 11 student Austin giving up the creature comforts of home for one night each year to show his support for those who are less fortunate.
Austin, who helped organise this year’s event alongside 11 other student leaders, said spending a night on the gym floor was an eye-opener.
“The first thing that hits you is the back pain in the morning but it helps you realise the seriousness of the issue,” he said.
Fellow organiser, year 8 student Nicholas (pictured), took part for the first time this year.
“I wanted to experience what homeless people are faced with every day, especially in winter,” he said. “We don’t realise what privileged lives we have.”
Throughout the night, students had to build shelters from cardboard boxes, which were then tested to see if they would withstand wind and rain.
They were also served soup and a bread roll for dinner from the Vinnies soup van to help make their experience more realistic.
