Students living and sleeping outside as part of 5 Days for the Homeless campaign

Photo of students speaking at 5 Days for the Homeless campaign. — Sprott student and 5 Days for the Homeless participant Michael Gass speaks with a fellow student about the campaign.

A group of Sprott students are living and sleeping outside Carleton’s University Centre this week as part of 5 Days for the Homeless, a national campaign to raise money and awareness about homeless youth.

Started by business students at the University of Alberta in 2005, the campaign went national in 2008 and to date has raised over $1,000,000, with students from 24 business schools across Canada participating.

The group at Carleton is hoping to raise $10,000 for Operation Come Home, a charity that supports homeless youth in Ottawa, and are also accepting donations of non-perishable food, clothing, shoes, and hygiene products.

This year’s participants are: Gillian Moore, second-year Bachelor of Commerce (Management), Adam Lopez, first-year Bachelor of Commerce (Supply Chain Management), Michael Gass, first-year Bachelor of International Business, Laura O’Reilly, third-year Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing), and Amanda Dundas, fourth-year Bachelor of International Business.

Rules for participants are strict. Students must sleep outside, rely on donations for food and drinks, have no access to showers, not use phones or social media, and remain on campus for the entirety of the campaign.

Gillian, the organizer for Sprott’s team, believes the campaign is effective because of it takes the abstract idea of homelessness and makes it real.

“Rather than just asking people for money, by staying outside it’s kind of a constant reminder about what homeless youth go through,” she said.

Team members, who are all participating in the campaign for the first time, said they expect to learn a new appreciation for basic amenities that they often take for granted.

“Seeing how much harder it is just for that week will really put things into perspective,” first-year student Adam Lopez said.

Donations can be made on-site at the bookstore entrance of the University Centre, as well as online at the 5 Days website.

For updates on the team’s progress this week, check them out on Facebook/5DaysOttawa and Twitter @5D4H_Ottawa.