“Who Are Those People in Orange?”
Who are those people in orange sitting outside of Stauffer?
If this is not your first March spent on campus, chances are you’ve seen (or at least heard) about the orange-clad students sitting and sleeping outside of Joseph S. Stauffer Library for a week (and there’s a good probability you have at some point asked yourself the above question).
Each year, Queen’s students stand in solidarity with the homeless and at risk youth of Kingston in QPID’s 5 Days For Homelessness campaign, in support of the Kingston Youth Shelter. The 5 Days campaign, founded in 2005 by the University of Alberta’s School of Business, has since spread to universities all across Canada and has raised over $1.5 million to support local youth shelters. Students participating in the campaign are not trying to appropriate the experience of being homeless, but rather to gain public attention and to open up the dialogue about youth homelessness.
How does the campaign work?
For 5 Days, participants will be outside of Joseph Stauffer Library, collecting donations and engaging students in discussion about youth homelessness. The Campaign rules are as follows:
Remain on campus for five days. The campaign begins 5pm local time on the Sunday of the campaign week and ends at 5pm local time on the Friday.
Have no income. 100% of the funds donated to individual campaigns are passed on to their choice of local homeless youth organization.
Have no food or drinks. Food can only be received through direct donations, and all non-perishable food must be kept and used as a donation for a shelter.
Have only a pillow and a sleeping bag. These items can be exchanged for an emergency meal.
Have no access to showers, or facilities to which their student status would usually grant them access. Washrooms can only be accessed when campus buildings are open.
Sleep outside. The only exception is if inclement weather becomes a health risk.
Attend all classes. Participants will complete all academic and extra curricular responsibilities, including student organizations and teaching positions.
Avoid personal communication media. Participants will be expected to not use cell phone or online social networking websites (Facebook, etc) during the Five Days campaign except for the purposes of promoting the campaign. Each region is required to have at least one cell phone for safety purposes.
Write about or film their experiences. Participants’ experiences will be posted on an online blog available on 5days.ca
(Source: https://5days.ca/about/)
Why homeless youth specifically?
Homeless youth are often referred to as “the hidden homeless” as there is likelihood that the youth is not completely homeless, but may lack adequate housing and/or the support and stability they need. Approximately 43 percent of homeless youth have been involved in the child welfare system, and 77 percent of youth are unemployed. Most importantly, the stigma surrounding the experience of homelessness is silencing to youth who do not fit the “typical” image of being homeless.
Where does the money go?
Funds raised during the campaign go to support The Kingston Youth Shelter. “KYS is open to all youth, both male and female, between the ages of 16 and 24 who are in need of emergency housing. They hold up to 15 youth per night. The shelter offers a safe environment with nutritious food, counseling, support and life skills training. The Kingston Youth Shelter strives to make a difference in the lives of homeless youth by offering a safe and supportive emergency shelter that encourages their growth and provides them with access to community resources.”
Kingston Whig-Standard: Philanthropist donates $1.2M for homeless youth facility
QPID encourages everyone to come out and support the 5 Days campaign, on now until Sunday. You can donate online here, and follow the campaign on social media:
www.qpid.ca
www.twitter.com/qpidqueens
www.instagram.com/qpidqueens