King David Schools participate in Schools SleepOut
LINKSFIELD – King David pupils brave the cold in support of the less fortunate.
Inspired by the Sun International CEO SleepOut, King David Schools hosted a SleepOut with the aim to encourage the pupils to engage and empathise with the realities of homelessness in the greater community.
King David Schools in Linksfield participated in the Schools SleepOut at both the high and primary school. King David leaders, pupils and selected teachers experienced a cold Johannesburg winter’s night by sleeping outside at the school on 28 July.
Some of the evening’s events included a debate about homelessness, a slam poetry contest, a competition to make the best cardboard shelter and a sandwich-making event. The high school hosted a night soccer tournament and made sleeping bags out of newspaper, which will be given to the homeless after the event.
All pupils of the high school and primary school, regardless of whether they were participating or not, were encouraged to support those sleeping outdoors by bringing warm blankets to donate to partner outreach schools including Summerwood Primary School and Sediba Thuto School.
Shane Bassin, head student leader of King David for 2016/2017, is one of the five youth ambassadors for the official CEO SleepOut brand. On the night of the sleepout, Bassin travelled to more than 20 schools which registered to be part of the CEO SleepOut to motivate the students who have risen to the challenge of braving the cold.
Darryl Frankel, deputy head of King David Senior Primary School Linksfield said, “We have embraced this opportunity to create awareness among our students for those who are not fortunate enough to sleep in a warm bed at night. The idea of giving to charity and having empathy for others are values that are instilled in King David pupils.”
