Pupils from St Bede’s RC Primary School in Jarrow paid a special visit to Emmaus North East spending the day learning about homelessness while sharing their creativity, compassion and understanding.
The visit gave the children an opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness.
As part of the day, they presented a collection of thoughtful and heartfelt poems they had written on the subject, demonstrating empathy and a genuine understanding of the experiences of those who have been homeless.
Some of the pupils’ poems included:
“I have a friend named Lee who was homeless for 6 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.”
Emmaus North East is an award-winning charity that offers a home and life-changing support to help people progress after homelessness.
Sue, Community Manager, reflected on the visit, saying: “We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with St Bede’s School and Miss 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.”
The children also performed a wonderful rendition of Don’t Worry, Be Happy, chosen by one of the pupils, which was warmly received by staff and companions.
Andy Mears played a key role in planning and delivering the session. Andy is the author of Words on a North East Street, a collection of poems exploring the realities of homelessness through powerful personal stories. His poetry workshop encouraged pupils to think more deeply about the challenges people can face and how understanding and compassion can make a meaningful difference. Andy was joined by his friends David Roe and Paul Allan, who also performed poetry and music, helping to make the day both educational and enjoyable.
There was plenty of fun throughout the visit, including a creative air-dry clay activity where pupils and residents enjoyed making crafts together while chatting over lunch.
Visits like this play an important role in helping young people understand homelessness, challenge stereotypes and recognise how small acts of kindness and compassion can make a real difference in people’s lives.
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