The YMCA is calling on local residents from the Burnham-On-Sea area to come together and sleep rough for one night later this month to support local, homeless young people.
YMCA Dulverton Group is one of several YMCAs across the country that have joined forces to raise awareness of youth homelessness during the national YMCA Sleep Easy campaign.
Donors will sleep out for one night all over England to raise awareness of the hundreds of young people who sleep rough every year and raise funds to help YMCA Dulverton Group continue to support residents and young people in their services.
This year’s local event will take place at the George Williams Centre in Bridgwater from 7pm to 7am on Friday 29th March, 2019.
Participants will spend the night out and take part in activities such as a shelter building competition.
Registration costs £10 and participants are being asked to fundraise using JustGiving to encourage donations from friends and family in support.
YMCA Dulverton Group has hosted Sleep Easy nights since 2016 and has raised over £2000 in that time. Money brought in has helped to provide a variety of services such as, offering temporary accommodation, access to training and education as well as advice and support.
While there is recognition from the public that homelessness is going up, new research from YMCA has found that just one in four young people who are homeless (26%) believe the public care about youth homelessness.
When thinking about themselves and their personal situation, even fewer young people who are homeless believe the public are concerned. Less than one in five homeless young people (19%) believe the public care about their situation.
YMCA Dulverton Group are hoping that this event will act as a way of showing young people in our community who are homeless that the public do care about them and that they are trying to tackle the problem of homelessness by raising vital funds.
Martin Hodgson, YMCA Dulverton Group Chief Executive, said: “We’re delighted to be hosting our Sleep Easy event at the George Williams Centre in Bridgwater on Friday 29th March as part of national YMCA Sleep Easy.”
“YMCAs across the country are holding Sleep Easy events to raise much-needed awareness of the plight of rough sleeping among young people.”
“We are calling on the local community, old and young, to sign up to our Sleep Easy event to help us support young people in our services today and into the future. One night out can make a lifetime of difference.”
Local people interested in taking part in YMCA Dulverton Group’s Sleep Easy can find out more by contacting Emma Dalling at Emma.Dalling@ymca-dg.org or by signing up to take part at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sleep-easy-2019-tickets-56325858158?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Last year hundreds of YMCA supporters raised more than £500,000 in total as part of YMCA’s National Sleep Easy Week nationwide.
