Background

One of the key goal of the Schools of the Sacred Heart is to commit themselves to educate to a "social a social awareness which impels to action". Students are inspired to help the ones in need and actively engage in humanitarian initiatives.

Objective

To increase youth's awareness about the reality of homeless people.

Activities 

Students of Stuartholme School of the Sacred Heart (Brisbane, Australia) engage in a number of solidarity initiatives to help homeless people: 

  • Homeless Connect: Senior students are given the opportunity to volunteer on the Homeless Connect event, a day the Brisbane City Council organises to offer various services to homeless people. Stuartholme also conducts donation drives of sanitary items, blankets and other items outlined by Brisbane City Council for the day.

  • Rosies Street Retreat program. Students and staff have participated in the program. It is an outreach program of Rosies charity for the homeless that runs during the night in Brisbane providing a hot drink, some snacks and conversation to friends on the street.

  • Orange Sky Laundry (OSL): Orange Sky Laundry is Australia’s first mobile laundry service for the homeless. A world first, the custom fitted van has been servicing parks and drop in centres across Australia and the wider community with its two industrial washers and dryers in each van. OSL co-founders Lucas Patchett and Nicholas Marchesi were just named Young Australians of the Year for 2016. Each week 4 students and 1 staff member volunteer for an hour and a half at Wickham Park in Brisbane CBD. Groups will volunteer 5 times over a 10 week period. Volunteering is focused on establishing relationships with our friends on the street and washing their clothes when needed.

  • Street Swags: This organisation was started by one of our alumnae and school and students have offered support by making donations and have assisted with rolling the swags in the past when it was needed.

??Stuartholme is also one of the first to be involved in the School Ambassador Program run by OSL.   

 

People being served

People being served : Agents of transformation (Educators)

Age group : Children 0-17, Young people 18-25

Number of participants : 251-500

Schedule

Project status : Ongoing

Images

Overview

Society presence : Australia/New Zealand

Focus of the project : People

JPIC Imperative : Transforming and Being Transformed

UN Sustainable Development Goals : 1 No Poverty, 10 Reduced Inequalities, 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, 17 Partnerships for the Goals, 2 Zero Hunger, 4 Quality Education