Students Hold Lock-In To Raise Homelessness Awareness

For their senior project, two students decided to take on an issue that  hits home, literally. Deanna Roberts and Krista Brouwer said they were shocked to discover the number of homeless high school students in Rhode Island and chose to host a lock-in at the high school for their community service-based project. 

“Prior to beginning our project and research we were unaware that this problem existed to such a heightened extent, present even within our own school.,” Brouwer said. “Once we were made aware of the severity of the issue in our community we wanted to do anything we could, within our power, to not only help kids in other communities but our own [school].” 

The lock-in served as a venue for “any high school student, regardless of current living situations, to have a 'home' for the night surrounded by friends and faculty who care.” Once at the lock-in, which ran overnight from 6 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. last Saturday, students participated in “for fun” activities like watching movies, sports and board games, as well as team building exercises. Brouwer explained one challenge called the “Human Knot,” where students had to untangle their crossed arms and form a circle without letting go of each other's hands. Everyone who attended the lock-in was also offered a free meal.

“While we may not know specifically who these students may be, we felt as though every student deserved a chance to come and enjoy the night without the worries of finding a meal and a warm place to stay,” Brouwer said.

To create a lasting impact, the girls did not only hold the lock-in, but educated fellow students during school about the “shocking” growth rate of the They said many students were also shocked about the the approximately 746 homeless youth in their state and that Rogers was not absent from the statistics.

“Many times we were stopped in the school hallway and asked if these facts were really true, if we really had students among us with no place to go,” Brouwer said. She said the issue became even more apparent when they found that among the top five highest ranking cities for homelessness in the state, Middletown ranked third with 86 homeless youth. “Many of our classmates were eager to help.”

Brouwer and Roberts dubbed the event a success, and said everyone who participated said they would enjoy similar events in the future. Between admission fees and concessions, they raised almost $500 to combat homelessness and had approximately 40 attendees.