the hardened homeless
To finish off our discovery of social justice issues near and far, youth from JIMS and Kingdom youth clubs joined for a night of rough living. The 25 youth braved the cold, showers, and limited resources to better understand the issue of homeless that so many in our world face.
In addition to homelessness, we looked at other issues throughout the month of June 2011. The following facilitators pinpointed areas of interest: – Invisible Children: Tony video (child soldiers in Uganda) – Simon Community: homelessness in Northern Ireland – Safe Choices: abuse and human trafficking in Belfast, Newry, and more – Starbucks: fair trade in our local shops
Not only did we welcome great facilitators, we also enjoyed two films followed by interesting discussions. Juniors and seniors alike thoroughly enjoyed Disney’s best work: The Lion King. Discussions proved interesting as youth were challenged to consider the serious effects of one lie, mistreatment of various groups, and murder. For those seniors interested in human trafficking, we watched Taken; once more, the film brought to life issues that many face today in violence, slavery, and prostitution.
As pictured above, homeless for a Night was our final act. A big thanks goes to the leaders who made this event possible (you know who you are!)…and to the youth for their willingness to gain a deeper understanding into into such an issue.
Throughout the month, the youth gathered clothes, books, and more to donate to a Simon Community charity shop as an expression of help to those in need.
The full program was funded in whole by the International Fund for Ireland.