When Silas Waldhaus interviewed people at Our Place, he heard plainly about the plight of the homeless community.
The Central middle school student was among about a dozen schoolmates who camped in the schoolB次元官网网址檚 front entrance on a rainy, windy Tuesday night, as a way to enhance their understanding of life on the streets.
Social Justice students from getting set to camp outside in the cold tonight to better understand the plight of homeless
B次元官网网址� Victoria B次元官网网址 (@VictoriaB次元官网网址)
B次元官网网址淸ThereB次元官网网址檚] not a lot of happy thoughts from them, it doesnB次元官网网址檛 sound that pleasant at all,B次元官网网址� the Grade 8 student said of his conversations, before laying out his sleeping bag on the concrete.
B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e always on the move and B次元官网网址� sometimes the shelters are full, so we wanted to see how that is ourselves. Of course it isnB次元官网网址檛 like the real thing, we arenB次元官网网址檛 always being complained about to police and having to move around all the time. But we are sleeping outside in winter and seeing a little bit how it feels so that we can empathize with some people.B次元官网网址�
These students from teacher Alan BarwinB次元官网网址檚 Social Justice class were no doubt the target of questions from their schoolmates Wednesday morning.
Student Talia Collins, who signed up for the class after her experiences with Me to We, echoed WaldhausB次元官网网址� comments from the interviews at Our Place.
B次元官网网址淟ife on the street is not fun, itB次元官网网址檚 really rough. They donB次元官网网址檛 get treated fairly at all,B次元官网网址� she said, adding of the sleepover, B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 really important for us to do it. IB次元官网网址檓 excited to learn about what itB次元官网网址檚 going to be like.B次元官网网址�
She hoped that through the classB次元官网网址檚 social media pages, website and magazine that theyB次元官网网址檒l be able to spread awareness of the situation.
Barwin has run the Social Justice class for a number of years now and facilitates real-life and often serious discussions amongst his students.
B次元官网网址淏ecause we have My Place across the road from us and a lot of the kids live downtown, we see people on the streets,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚n our discussions people wanted to know more; why are people there, what issues do they face and how we can help them.B次元官网网址�
One student came up with the idea of sleeping outdoors as a way to get a sense of what those less fortunate go through.
VicPD Sgt. Shawn Robson dropped by the school Tuesday night to make sure the students were OK and offer his verbal support.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 super impressed by the initiative the students have put out here and the teachers and the parents who are offering their support,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎nything that the kids can bring to the table to [help the] process of dealing with homelessness in the future is a fantastic idea.B次元官网网址�
The next edition of the magazine will document the studentsB次元官网网址� experience and their conversations with police on the issue. Barwin said heB次元官网网址檚 proud of the students for their desire to learn more about the issue, talk to people on the street and to understand and help.
