Christ’s College boys sleep out for homeless
30 Mar 2023
Christ’s College students have slept outside on the Quad to highlight the issue of homelessness in the city, along with raising nearly $4000 for the City Mission.
A City Mission representative also spoke about life on the streets during Assembly in the lead-up to the weekend sleepout.
Organised by Head of Service Elliott Grey and Head of Boarding Lachie Short, the overnight sleepout has provided the boys with a taste of the reality of being homeless.
City Mission outreach worker Josh visited the boys on the night to share his experiences of working to support those in great need. The boys were also joined on the Quad by Executive Principal Garth Wynne and teacher Dr Graeme Swanson.
“Twenty-five students gathered on the Quad to sow the seeds of a new Service tradition – Sleepout for Homelessness,” Elliott and Lachie say. “Raising just under $4000 for the City Mission, the simple goal of the event was to raise awareness and funds for the incredible efforts of the mission to support the homeless across Ōtautahi Christchurch.
“After mobile phones had been handed in, students were armed with nothing but warm clothes, a sleeping bag, and a tarpaulin, to strip away any contact with the outside world. It was quickly made apparent that it was a rare but beneficial detox from the loud and busy digital world that surrounds us, with some initially finding it difficult to adjust.”
With little sleep because of the cool temperatures and the lack of a pillow, the sleepout has provided a new perspective on homelessness for all the boys.
