Pre VCAL News

The Big Issue Australia – Classroom visit, assembly presentation and fundraiser

While in Melbourne on the Pre-VCAL camp, we visited The Big Issue Classroom; an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting and creating work opportunities for people experiencing homelessness, marginalisation and disadvantage. We learned about homelessness and disadvantage and the great work that The Big Issue Foundation does, to help people without homes, help themselves.

We learned that homelessness is not a choice and we wanted to do our bit to help out. In Australia there are over 116,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night. Homelessness week (August 1st -7th, 2022) aimed to raise awareness of the impact of homelessness In Australia.

The Pre-VCAL class prepared a presentation for assembly, PCG activities and raised funds to support The Big Issue Australia, to raise awareness and educate the school community.

 The fundraiser was on Monday 15th August and we sold hamburgers and sausages for staff and students at the Senior Campus. We were able to use produce from the Junior School Kitchen Garden to put in the burgers and thanks to the generosity of our local Woolworths supermarket who donated all of the burgers, we raised over $300!

With the money raised, we will purchase an annual subscription to The Big Issue magazine and make a donation to the organisation. A subscription is an important way to support this organisation, because it employs women who are homeless and struggle to find regular employment.

In the perfect world there would be no homelessness, but in the meantime we can be more kind and more understanding.

By the Pre-VCAL Class