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Students sleep out at St. Thomas Aquinas for homeless youth

A handful of high school students and staff chose to forgo their cosy beds Monday night in favour of the cold, damp ground. Nine students in grades 8 to 12 and three teachers from St.
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St. Thomas Aquinas students Neil Gatpandan, Rachel Cruz, Elisa Pharaon and Justin Purkiss brace for a cold night outdoors Monday to raise awareness for Covenant House Vancouver. Ten students participated in the sleepout, with the goal of each raising $200, the amount it costs to house a young person for one night at the downtown youth shelter.

A handful of high school students and staff chose to forgo their cosy beds Monday night in favour of the cold, damp ground.

Nine students in grades 8 to 12 and three teachers from St. Thomas Aquinas secondary took part in the Covenant House Sleep Out fundraising event on Nov. 24. Each participant was asked to raise $200 - the cost of sheltering one youth for one night at Covenant House - and to spend a night outdoors to better understand what it's like to be young and homeless.

The St. Thomas Aquinas crew surpassed their fundraising goal, collectively raising $4,000 for the youth shelter.

"We've been fundraising for them for years and it's kind of a good fit, youth helping youth," says campus ministry co-ordinator Michelle Robertson, one of the staff participants. "It's a great organization, Covenant House."

The high school edition of the Covenant House Sleep Out is a new initiative modelled after the non-profit's Executive Sleep Out events, which see business professionals and public figures take on the same challenge.

The North Vancouver teens were allowed to bring a backpack and a sleeping bag, but no pillow, sleeping mat or snacks. They were permitted to carry a phone, but only for the purpose of promoting the fundraising campaign via social media - no gaming or entertainment allowed.

Far from ideal camping conditions, the rainy November weather helped the students better understand the plight of homeless youth, Robertson says.

"This kind of weather is really when you learn about what it's like to be on the street," she says. "I don't think it would have the same impact" holding the event in the spring, she adds.

Monday's events kicked off with guest speakers, activities, an educational video about youth homelessness and discussion. Participants then headed onto the school grounds at 10:30 p.m. where they slept, or at least tried to sleep, until 7 a.m. Robertson says she hopes the teens walk away from the experience with more empathy for street youth and a greater appreciation for the roof over their own heads.

"What my goal always is as a campus minister at school is to help them to be people who care for all their brothers and sisters," she says.