SUNDRE – Two dozen Sundre High School students recently went on a field trip to Calgary to explore the complex issues around homelessness, according to a Chinook’s Edge School Division (CESD) release.
As part of the field trip, the Grade 9-12 students visited the Mustard Seed, a Christian non-profit organization that, according to its website, has been caring for individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty since 1984.
Grade 12 student Brooklyn said, “People sometimes assume people are homeless because they are lazy and that they should get a job, but sometimes the truth is people are homeless because they have a medical or mental health challenge that make it so they can’t help themselves.”
Lucas, another Grade 12 student, said, “As someone from a small town with virtually no homelessness, I was surprised to see the amount of homeless people in Calgary and the conditions they lived in.”
The field trip included in-classroom instruction at the Mustard Seed facility in downtown Calgary.
Students were also given a persona of a homeless person and tasked with collecting $2 worth of bottle and cans.
Other activities included finding a temporary employment agency and an alcoholics anonymous and/or gamblers anonymous meeting.
“This is an experience that is humbling and eye-opening,” said teacher Shauna Rodbourne. “We all experience challenges in our lives, but when you walk a mile in the shoes of a person experiencing homelessness, it makes you appreciate what you have.”
Scott Saunders, principal of Sundre High School, said the student participants learned valuable lessons and added, “The increased empathy they have from this experience will be important as they graduate and are in positions to make a difference with people around them.”
The CESD includes schools across the region, including in Sundre, Olds and Innisfail.
