To raise awareness of youth homelessness, Lighthouse Foundation has launched a new school’s education initiative called ‘Cut Out Youth Homelessness’.
Through this campaign, we aim to educate school communities by displaying life-sized ‘cut out’s’ of young people of all ages and backgrounds on school ovals or gyms to represent the number of young people experiencing homelessness in the school’s local area.
On Wednesday 13 March, we launched our campaign with Caulfield Grammar School with 129 cut outs displayed at the school, representing the number of young people experiencing homelessness in the Glen Eira city council area. The aim is for students to learn about the scale of the issue with real-life stories from Lighthouse’s young people and curriculum-aligned resources.
Caulfield Grammar School Principal, Ashleigh Martin, said: “Caulfield Grammar School is incredibly proud to support Lighthouse Foundation’s vital mission to help end youth homelessness through educating and raising awareness of the youth homelessness crisis in local communities.”
The school has raised over $6,000 for Lighthouse’s programs through their participation. We look forward to raising more vital funds for our cause through the many schools already booked in this year including Lauriston Girls’ School, Kilvington Grammar School, Port Melbourne Secondary College and Richmond High School.
The most recent Census data shows nearly a quarter (23%) of all Australians experiencing homelessness are aged 12 to 24 years. We know schools have a significant role to play in helping raise awareness of this crisis and look forward to seeing school communities unite to support Lighthouse’s mission to end youth homelessness, together.
If you’re interested in learning more about Cut Out Youth Homelessness, visit lighthousefoundation.org.au/how-to-help/community-fundraising/cut-out-youth-homelessness.
Thank you to our wonderful pro bono partners, Brand Laundry, for designing the Cut Outs for Lighthouse.
