‘Songs Inside’ Brings Music and Message of Hope to Year 12 Winter Sleepout

Mercy Light: Connecting

The Year 12 Winter Sleepout has never been about comfort; it’s an immersion that offers willing students the chance to step into the reality faced by over 7,000 South Australians experiencing homelessness — to feel, even briefly, what it means to go without the warmth we often take for granted. That being said, hearts were warmed this year as a number of special guests joined part of the experience for an evening of connecting, listening and sharing stories. Two of the St Vincent De Paul Society’s key staff – Donna, Community Programs Manager, and Tanya, Wellbeing Case Coordinator – opened the Winter Sleepout with inspiring recounts of their experiences working closely with some of our community’s most vulnerable people. Vinnies, as its commonly known, pioneered Winter Sleepouts for students more than 15 years ago, helping students to reflect on how socio-economic challenges affect people experiencing homelessness and hardship. Donna and Tanya’s session foregrounded the evening, which was followed by input from members of Young Mercy Links SA, where Year 12s had the opportunity to hear from SAC Old Scholars about how they continue to serve others in their lives beyond school.

Following these stories of justice and solidarity, the evening then turned to an experience of creativity and reflection. Can you recall an experience that you wish you could return to again and again? For the Year 12s, that came in the form of viewing the award-winning documentary Songs Inside and a captivating Q&A with filmmaker Shalom Almond, and two of the film’s participants Erin and Clancy — an encounter that was truly music to the students’ ears. Shalom, who is based in Adelaide but has worked nationally and internationally, is an observational filmmaker whose work chronicles transformative journeys that convey authentic, personal and compelling stories. Insights conveyed in her films have the power to open hearts and minds. Songs Inside is Shalom’s most recent project, filmed in Adelaide Women’s Labour Prison, and follows the stories of women participating in the Songbirds music program, led by First Nations singer-songwriter, Nancy Bates.

Erin and Clancy were participants in this program and generously gave their time, together with Shalom, to view the film with the Winter Sleepout participants and engage in an hour-long conversation afterwards.

Recalling the Songbirds sessions with Nancy Bates inside prison, both Erin and Clancy conveyed that creative expression can bring healing, dignity and hope.

“Our time with Nancy was like a counselling session without being a counselling session,” shared Clancy. “Through the process of making music, through the arts, it helped us to express the deepest parts of ourselves.”

“I found a lot of comfort in writing lyrics… it was magic,” said Erin, who has continued writing lyrics and who is proud that her words, paired with music, were given life onstage when the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra visited the prison to perform with the Songbirds.

The courage of Erin and Clancy in sharing their stories reminded our students that behind statistics are human lives — women with families, with creativity, with dreams, who have faced immense challenges yet continue to rise with resilience. Their reflections on homelessness, recovery, and reintegration into society after incarceration were raw and eye-opening. Erin urged the students:

“I want you to see how lucky you are to be actually sleeping out there with your friend next to you within the walls of this school, and think about how you would feel if it was just you outside on the footpath in the cold on your own.”

This sentiment struck a chord with the Year 12s, many of whom carried those words with them as they lay on the cold ground later that night.

Clancy’s compelling message also stayed with the students:

“If you’re going through something right now, it doesn’t have to define you forever. Things can change, and you can come through the other side.”

Reflecting on the experience, Year 12 JAM leader, Clodeta T, wrote the following passage:

“‘Songs Inside’ provided me with information about the treatment of women in the prison that I did not previously know. I got to learn about how music can help people heal parts of their lives and allow them to feel the peace they have always wanted. What touched me the most was the fact that many women were in prison because of generational trauma, something that happened to them when they were younger and caused them to become who they are and then eventually end up in prison.

This film has made me very thoughtful and grateful for everything that I have. It has opened my eyes to see things in a new way, things that we usually take for granted I have learnt how lucky we are to have. Even simple things like, support from friends and family some of those people did not have anyone to run to when they needed help.

 I felt very lucky to be able to have this opportunity to have people come out and speak to us and answer some of our questions. Our guest speakers made the whole night feel more impactful. During the sleep out I was extremely grateful to be able to have my friends by my side. This night would have been completely different if I experienced it alone. Just having the presence of my friends made the night feel less cold and frightening. The sleepout was an experience I will never forget and I will always be grateful for, as well as having the opportunity to view the film ‘Songs Inside’.”

Clodeta’s reflection captures the essence of why the Winter Sleepout is such a formative experience: it is not simply about giving something up, but about opening oneself to the voices of those whose experiences can change the way we see the world.

As these Year 12 students discovered, empathy grows when we are willing to really listen – whether to the music of the Songbirds, the lived experiences of Erin and Clancy, or the quiet lessons of one night without comfort.

Through the Winter Sleepout, our Year 12s were invited not only to imagine a fairer world, but to begin shaping it, with compassion, creativity, and courage.

Ms Maddie Kelly
JAM Coordinator

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