Tevlin House had a highly successful evening on Thursday at our Winter Sleep Out at the College. This concluded the recent Winter appeal donation drive also for the Matthew Talbot Hostel. Thank you to all the Tevlin and Waverley community for the fantastic response to the Matthew Talbot Hostel’s donation drive. Tevlin boys were able to create 160 toiletry packs, as well as kitchen and clothing packs for the hostel.
Thank you to the many Tevlin mentors who assisted in supervising the evening, supported by our College mission team of Ms Walsh, Mr Kennedy and Ms Lipman. Below are some of the reflections from some Tevlin boys from their sleepout experience, the first being an extract from an inspiring pre-bedtime reflection from Year 11 prefect Constantine Iatrou, reminding us of our role in compassion towards those less fortunate.
From Constantine
“This sleep-out isn’t just an event. It’s a lesson in gratitude for us all. It’s a reminder of the strength and resilience of those who live without basic necessities and a call for us to be allies in their fight for dignity. When we wake tomorrow, we’ll return to our routines, but let’s not leave this experience behind, but continue supporting those in need, not just through donations, but through understanding, kindness and compassion. Thank you again for your generosity, and your commitment to making a difference. Tonight, let’s sleep not just with our eyes closed, but with our hearts open.” – Constantine Iatrou (Year 11)
From Xavier
“The 2024 Tevlin Winter Sleepout was an eye opening experience. Being my second time, I was prepared to push myself out of my comfort zone. We were lucky enough to hear from guest speaker Oliver Mulhearn who gave all the boys a fantastic insight into what it’s like working and supporting homeless people who approach St Canice’s homeless services. Together, we conducted a great discussion speaking about the struggles of homelessness and how Oliver feels during his day to day life, as he sees first hand the true effects of homelessness. We then came together to sort and pack the many generous donations made to the Matthew Talbot Hostel from students all across the College. Once more, this was a huge success and gave us all an immensely great feeling of accomplishment, knowing that we had contributed to a great cause.
Led by the Tevlin House Leaders, we were all given the opportunity to speak our own opinions in answering some key questions that are commonly misconceived and crucial in understanding the true nature of homelessness worldwide. This was incredibly interesting as I got to listen and discuss the many varying opinions expressed by the Tevlin Students. The comraderie amongst the boys was strong as we all settled in for what was to be an uncomfortable night’s sleep. Yes – sleeping on the floor in the E40s isn’t comfortable and all boys would agree in saying that we would much prefer to sleep in our beds at home, however this introduced the majority of Tevlin into feeling sympathy for the people in our broader communities who suffer from this on a daily basis. Waking up with a sore body was welcomed by Mr McCallum simulating the police were after us, and what eventually led to all the boys gathering on the roof, finishing off what was an overall fantastic, overwhelming and empowering event. The warm breakfast concluded our realisation into the importance of appreciating all the things that we may take for granted in our lives.” Xavier Kopsiaftis (Year 10)
