‘We all need to come together as one big community and make people on the streets feel safe.’
“Don’t just welcome people into your home, but into your heart!”
Those are the words of a Year 5 pupil at St Bede’s Catholic Primary School in Jarrow inspired by visiting a homelessness charity in South Shields.
Taylor, 10, along with his classmates and teachers from Year 5, spent a day of real-world meaningful learning focused on homelessness at Emmaus North East recently.
The pupils presented speeches they had written on the theme of homelessness to an audience, took part in a poetry workshop led by poet Andy Mears, and engaged in a range of activities including crafts, music and a shared lunch with members of the Emmaus community, including the CEO Ruth Parker.
Emmaus North East is an award-winning charity that offers a home and life-changing support to help people get their lives back on track and build a better future. The charity, which can house and support up to 22 people at any one time at its residential community home, also provides a free community launderette, a wood workshop and volunteer opportunities to combat loneliness and social exclusion.
“The visit formed part of the pupils’ learning in English and religious education, linking their written work on homelessness with Catholic Social Teaching,” said Kayleigh McLaren, deputy headteacher and Year 5 class teacher at St Bede’s, which is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust.
“It aimed to deepen pupils’ understanding of dignity, compassion and service, reflecting the teachings of Jesus and the call within the Bible to care for others. The experience also provided a valuable real-world context for learning and supported pupils in exploring potential careers within charitable and community-focused roles.
“They demonstrated increased empathy, confidence in public speaking and a greater awareness of charitable work. The opportunity for pupils to present their work directly to members of the Emmaus community, participate in a specialist poetry workshop, and spend time alongside individuals with lived experience made this a powerful and memorable educational experience.”
The visit built upon a comprehensive programme of learning, which included pupils interviewing Emmaus staff and a formerly homeless individual, collecting and donating essential care items, writing positive messages of hope and visiting the Emmaus shop in Jarrow to learn about its role within the wider community.
Year 5 pupil Eesa, 10, said: “At first, I just couldn’t believe that there are people in the world who don’t have a home to live in!”
As part of their visit, the children presented a collection of thoughtful and moving poems they had written on the subject, highlighting their understanding and empathy for people who have been homeless. Poet Andy Mears, who is the author of Words on a North East Street – a collection of poems that explores the realities of homelessness through powerful stories – held a workshop with the pupils to think more deeply about the challenges people can face and how understanding and compassion can make a difference.
Examples of their poetry included:
‘I have a friend named Lee who was homeless for six months. When he was on the streets he said, “If someone smiled it was like a million pounds.” This has taught me how lucky I am to have: a home, food, water and a safe community with a lovely family.’
‘Think about it… you could be loving and make homeless people feel like they’re not invisible.
We all need to come together as one big community and make people on the streets feel safe. You need to try to welcome them not just into your home, but into your heart.’
‘My vision for all homeless people is to have a safe place to call home. I believe that all homeless people deserve to find communities like Emmaus that embrace them gently. I believe that all homeless people deserve a warm place to sleep and eat.’
Sue Shaw, community manager at Emmaus North East, said: “We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with St Bede’s School and Mrs McLaren. The pupils are a credit to the school, showing interest, respect and kindness around a topic that we need to educate children about. Due to the success of this work, we are creating a Homeless Education Project to hopefully roll-out to other schools.
“Visits like this are an important way of helping young people learn about homelessness, challenge stereotypes and understand how small acts of kindness and support can make a real difference in people’s lives.”
Mrs McLaren added: “It has been wonderful to see how the relationship between our school and Emmaus North East has grown. Our pupils have been fully engrossed in their learning, both inside and outside the classroom, and have demonstrated great respect and compassion when exploring such a sensitive and important subject.”
The school’s partnership with Emmaus North East has continued to grow following successful collaboration last year. This ongoing relationship has influenced the Year 5 English curriculum and further strengthened the school’s commitment to Catholic Social Teaching across the wider curriculum.
Nursery and school places are available at St Bede’s. For more information, visit www.stbedesjarrow.co.uk
For more information about BCCET, visit www.bccet.org.uk
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Photo captions: Year 5 pupils enjoyed a meaningful visit to homelessness charity.