Teen hush money

QUIET TIME: South Grafton High School Year 8 students Nicky Phillips, 14, Yasmyn Keating, 14 and Simon Colgrave, 13, will have to stay quiet for 12 minutes today as part of the Hush for Homeless event at the school to raise moneyand awareness of homeless children under 12 in Australia.

Grafton Daily Examiner

TRYING to get one teenager to stay quiet can be hard enough, but spare a thought for the teachers at South Grafton High School, who today will 'hush' the entire school for 12 minutes.

It's all in the name of a good cause with students raising money and awareness about homeless children as part of the Hush for the Homeless charity event.

South Grafton High School organiser Kim McBeath said the students themselves chose to participate in the event, with the Student Representative Council (SRC) deciding to 'hush' for 12 minutes to recognise the 12,000 homeless children in Australia aged under 12.

“That's about 12 per cent of the total homeless population,” Ms McBeath said.

“The kids really responded to that and wanted to do something,” she said.

In first period today, all classes will stop for 12 minutes to remember young, homeless children across Australia.

Members of the SRC will then go around to each class to collect gold coin donations, which will go to Mission Australia.

Mission Australia chief executive officer Toby Hall said homeless people often felt marginalised and voiceless.

“ Hush for the Homeless encourages office workers, school kids and community groups to experience what it's like to be in a homeless person's shoes, to be voiceless, by not speaking,” he said.

Visit www.hushforhomelessness.com.au for more information about the event.