A group of Gleneagle secondary students will stand with homeless youth to ensure they have a life beyond the street.
Or, rather, the Coquitlam high school students will lie down on cold pavement on the night of April 5.
That's when they will sleep out — rain or shine — to raise funds for Covenant House, a program serving youth aged 16 to 24 on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
"This could be anyone — ourselves, a friend or a peer," explained Zahra Bharucha, a member of the school's Con X leadership team, which is organizing the event.
The Grade 12 student said she believes the public largely ignores street youth, many of them aged-out foster kids or LGBTQ students who aren't accepted by their family or the community.
"We just want to raise awareness," Bharucha added, noting that the evening is a way to share information while also raising money to pay for programs Covenant House offers.
The goal is to raise $6,000 for the agency, which was established in 1997, and the students are about 25% towards their target using an online fundraising website (go to: sleepoutstudentedition.kintera.org).
Covenant House spokesperson Michelle Clausius said the help is appreciated.
"Covenant House Vancouver is so encouraged by the support we are receiving from the students at Gleneagle who are raising money and awareness for homeless and at-risk youth. The sleep-out experience provides students with a glimpse into what it is like for our young people who through no fault of their own, find themselves homeless and alone," Clausius said in an email to The Tri-City News.
As for the Gleneagle students who are participating, the event is a chance to show they care.
"Kids on the street go there because they don't have anywhere else to go, then some of them end up with addictions. They don't start out that way," Rebecca Suchodolski said.
Other students said said they are looking forward to an educational experience.
Adrianna Corrado said when she joined the sleep-out last year — bedding down in a sleeping bag on cardboard — she was able to understand a little of what it must be like to be homeless and alone.
"They have no one, no family or anyone to support them," she said.
Gleneagle teacher Adam Hayes said the night spent outside will be uncomfortable and students will have a chance to reflect on the experience of homeless youth. The students will also scavenge for food and watch a video about street youth.
