This friday (tonight ) , around 20 students from the Green CBS will sleep outside from about 9pm to 7am on Saturday morning as part of their awareness campaign and petition for the plight of the Homeless in Kerry and Ireland.
This event coincides with Focus Points “Ireland’s Great Get Together “. According to Geraldine Dwyer , Teacher in the Green , “The boys devised the petition with the help of Ronan Doherty Director of Novas in Tralee , it states that they believe everyone has a right to a home and they would like to get the right to housing recognized in our constitution . Around the world this right is included in 81 Constitutions .
“We hope to have a representative from Kerry County Council to accept our signed petition .
While fund raising did play a part in the students campaign their main aim was to raise awareness of the deepening crisis of Homelessness in Ireland and be a voice for those who experience it . We discovered that in Kerry in 2017 there were over 42 families in Emergency Accommodation. Fr. Peter Mc Verry told us at his talk that 0 to 4 years are biggest category of homeless in Ireland at the moment , the boys found this shocking. In their research and participation they discovered that homelessness is not just those you pass on the street it’s those who don’t have a place to call home to themselves . Before the campaign some students didn’t know what social housing was now they are very aware of the inadequate supply of affordable and social houses in Ireland .It has been an eye opener and a great experience for the students as they advocate for change in the Ireland they live in . “
