By Eimear Phelan
UCD St Vincent de Paul’s fourth Annual Homeless Week raised €800 euro in its first day.
The event, which took place from November 14-18, saw around 30 students sleep outside the James Joyce Library to highlight the problem of homelessness and raise funds for St Vincent de Paul.
Clothes and money were donated all week by students and passers-by.
A number of events were held throughout the week, beginning on Monday with a sponsored leg wax and student busking.
The society held their annual soccer tournament on Tuesday. Again, people turned up at the camp all day to busk, with all profits going toward keeping homeless services open.
UCD’s Film Soc got involved on Wednesday with an outdoor screening of Toy Story 3 and Up at the camp. Dance Soc also organised an ‘I need a dollar’ flash mob outside the library in aid of the event.
The UCD students were joined on Thursday by students from both Trinity College Dublin and NUI Maynooth. Thursday was both the last and biggest night of sleeping out.
Thursday was also the final of the Battle of the Buskers in the UCD bar. Lisa Gorry won first place and a slot at the UCD Christmas Ball, while Chase Nova came in a close second. The event was headlined by Indie-Pop band Storyfold.
Members of the SVP committee slept out all week. However, a number of students, including first years and those partaking in the event for the first time, only camped for one or two nights.
Homeless Week is unique to UCD and provides an unusual way for students to socialise.
UCD Environmental Officer, Conrad Richardson, said that Homeless Week “is a different way of socialising, something I don’t normally do.”
Angela O’Sullivan, who also camped for the full week, agreed and said “It’s really good to get people together for such a positive thing.”
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