Area high school students homeless for a night
By: Stephanie Claytor
Updated: November 10, 2012
It's not every day that high school students have a chance to learn what it's like to be homeless. But on Saturday night, a select group of students from the Shreveport/Bossier area had a chance to sleep in Festival Plaza.
It's a project called "Street University," sponsored by the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission. The students had to survive the night without luxuries like cell phones, earrings, and toothpaste. They heard testimonials, searched for food, and learned statistics about homelessness, hunger, abuse, and addiction.
Although taken out of his comfort zone, Caddo Magnet High School student Paul Naisbitt said he thinks it's be an eye-opener.
"You don't really know what they go through. You just kind of see them and you kind of brush them off, so I think it's really cool to be able to interact and figure out what it's really like," said Naisbitt.
The goal is to not only learn what homelessness feels like, but to also create solutions.
"I hope that they can see that they truly can make an impact even though they are such a young age, that just instilling that knowledge and hunger for the ability to help others, no age is too young," said Anna Adams, of the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission.
The simulation started around 5 p.m. Saturday evening, and is finishing around 7 a.m. Sunday morning.
