As many as 40,000 young people in Canada experience homelessness every year. For over 25 years, Covenant House has worked tirelessly to serve and support these youth until they are stable and able to provide for themselves. This past Friday the 23rd, a few students from grades 11 and 12 at St. George’s School participated in the Covenant House Sleepout. This is an initiative that Covenant House has been running for years to raise awareness for youth homelessness in Vancouver.

The boys showed up on the evening of the 23rd, sleeping bags in hand, ready to learn what it meant to sleep without shelter and what they could do to help these youth. They participated in several immersive activities—including listening to a guest speaker from Covenant House itself. As the night fast approached, the students began to set up camp, assembling tents and placing their sleeping bags inside. When the darkness made sight difficult, it was time to call it a night and sleep.

Although the night was cold, it turned out to be a great learning experience for the boys. They experienced the tip of the iceberg as to what youth are suffering through every night on the streets. They raised close to $500 for Covenant House but are still looking for more donations. If you are interested in donating, click on this link, and if you are interested in learning more about Covenant House it can be done here.

Thank you to all who came out and hopefully this is a tradition that will continue in future years!