The Martlet

Most Canadians wouldn’t choose to be outside for extended periods of time in March — let alone live. But for some students at 17 universities and colleges across the country, even snow couldn’t stop them.

Students from UVic to the Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec participated in Five Days for the Homeless, from March 15 to 20, to raise money for youth at risk of ending up on the street.

Following the success of the first event at the University of Alberta in 2005, organizers of this year’s fundraiser set this year’s national goal at $100,000. The goal was exceeded, with a grand total of $160,285 raised across Canada.

UVic’s participants set a goal of $5,000, and had raised $2,125 by the end of the week, with the funds going to the Victoria Youth Empowerment Society.

This was UVic’s first year participating, said organizer and fourth-year business student Teresa Sims.

“We’re the only university across Canada that had more than one faculty participating,” she said, explaining that students from other schools involved with the fundraiser were in business programs. UVic saw not only its business students, but also its political science, geography and science students get involved.

But they weren’t trying to fool anyone into believing that their outdoor experience was the same as someone forced to live on the street, said fourth-year political science student Curtis Smith.

“The intent here is not to mimic homelessness entirely,” he said, referencing another fundraiser, the 30-Hour Famine, where participants mimic having no access to food.

All participating students had to follow a few rules to participate: remain on campus for five days, have no income, have no food or drinks (food can only be received through direct donations), have only a pillow and a sleeping bag, have no access to showers, sleep outside, attend all classes, avoid personal communication mediums (such as a cell phone or Facebook) and write about their experiences on the official website.

UVic’s participants had a brutal awakening on Sunday night, where wind and rain blew at over 40 kilometers an hour.

The students, who were set up adjacent to the SUB, were holding their tarps down with the five-gallon sand buckets used for cigarette butts, until they blew over. They explained the situation to Campus Security, who let them sleep in the breezeway of Clearihue’s D wing. They were told to pack up early the next morning.

“Apparently we were a fire hazard there … in the pouring rain,” Smith said.

Snow was a factor to deal with the next night, but the participants huddled together to stay warm, and their tarp stayed in place. Opposite from what they were anticipating, the students were amazed at how generous people were with their donations in food.

“The food [was] amazing,” said second-year biology student Nathan Warner.

Throughout the week, the group ate fairly well, including a donation of soup from a Quizno’s employee, a tray of leftover pasta from a Centre Caf server and a few leftovers from the residence cafeteria.

“Hunger is a distribution problem,” Warner said, adding that because shelters can’t accept perishable items, a lot of food is going to waste all over the city.

Smith said that holding this event put the issue of homelessness in a wider perspective.

“The UVic community doesn’t really talk about homelessness,” he said.

After having slept outside all week, Smith now believes that homeless people aren’t choosing their lifestyle.

“People don’t do this because they’re lazy,” he said. “It’s not a cop-out.”