Voluntary homelessness

Invincible_summer

There's a campaign happening right now across the country that is trying to "raise awareness" for issues surrounding homelessness and problems that street youth may face.

It involves students voluntarily sleeping outside and asking for donations for the cause.

While the intention seems laudable enough, the sociology student in me can't help but wonder what this even says about our society...

Why does it take privileged university students who *voluntarily* sleep outside (with prepared supplies) for less than a week (after which they can return to their warm homes, friends, and family) for people to be "aware" of issues surrounding homelessness? Are they saying we can't trust people who live on the street, but we *can* trust the better-off to speak for them?

Is it "class guilt" that drives people to do this ("class guilt" being similar to "white guilt")?

Something about this just doesn't sit right with me.

For example, if I learn how to speak some Japanese and then visit Japan for a week, I wouldn't say that I "lived" in Japan or that I "know" what it's like to be Japanese and can therefore speak for Japanese people on various issues. To me, this situation is the same.


Then again, I've been told I'm often too critical.

What do you think of all this?

karasti

I think it's probably a lot of things. I think some of it is kids often feel sheltered until they go to college. Then they get there, and learn all these things about the world, that weren't part of their world. Everyone knows youth and others are homeless. But to truly learn about it and see it is an entirely different thing. Just like all of us know about the poverty and famine in Africa and elsewhere, but to go there and see it would be very different and likely cause us to want to act, even though we weren't sure how. It kind of reminds me of a movie, called Beyond Borders (I think, with Clive Owen and Angelina Jolie) where she is a rich lady who is taken when Owen crashes a party event. She decides to go see what he does, he's one of the doctors without borders types, and she wants to help the starving people but doesn't know how, and the things she tries are often wrong.

It gets the attention of the media, and then people care. Only for a few minutes, because Americans at least have very short attention spans. But it's something. Think about Katrina and Sandy and the tsunami. The costs for rebuilding and dealing with those situations are still present, yet how many of us who donated after seeing the horror on tv, are still donating today? It's the same kind of thing, I think. When faced to recognize and see it, on tv or whatever, it pulls at our heart strings and we have to do something, so we donate. But a few days later, something else grabs our attention and we give little second thought to the fact that the problem is ongoing.

black_tea

Perhaps it is not guilt that drives people but the desire to help. According to your post people are damned if they do damned if they don't. If they don't involve themselves in issues like this then they are uncaring, but if they do they are somehow being classist. If you aren't living on the streets then you probably have more resources that can be used to promote various worthwhile social causes, and the more people involved in raising awareness, funds, lobbying, etc. the better the outcome is likely to be.

As for sleeping outside - on an intellectual level it is clear that there are many hardships that go with being homeless, but there's a difference between knowing something intellectually and really feeling it. Having even a small taste of that hardship may help wake people up to the issue in a more meaningful way. If someone visits Japan that doesn't make them know what it is to be Japanese, but they may have a better understanding of the country and it's people than someone who has never been at all.

Invincible_summer

I do suppose that at least they are doing something relatively positive, and that we should give the benefit of the doubt that the little bit of knowledge may go a long way.

But isn't there some harm and delusion that comes with activism like this? "Voluntourism" has similar criticisms laid against it as well - that because the actual people who are supposed to benefit from the charity aren't building themselves up, actions like this are only a band-aid approach that really do nothing in the long run.

karasti

Are we sure it doesn't do anything in the long run? If someone, even 1 person, is made aware of an issue, and makes it something they participate in on a regular basis, isn't that progress? If someone says "hey, I'm going to go donate to a food pantry to help these homeless kids" and does so, and then eventually volunteers at this food pantry, isn't that helping in the long run?

I don't intend this to sound snarky at all, but I'm not sure how to word it differently so my apologies for that, lol. What do you think should be done differently? If the college people want to bring attention to an issue, what should they do instead? I'm asking because I'm trying to think of other ideas too, and so far don't have much. A lot of the time in addition to these kinds of things, colleges participate in big food drives, blanket drives, and other types of things. Typically, in a lot of areas they actually do more for the community than the people that live in the community. And the thanks they often get is all the neighbors complaining about the college kids next door, lol. (yes, I know college kids are often a loud and rowdy bunch, and even having been a college kid who was a good neighbor, today I would not want to live next door to them).

For a lot of them, awareness *starts* in college, but continues into their lives. They learn how to do different things to help and which ways are most effective. But at least if they have an interest in helping people, they are doing more for their community, and for those in need, than the typical student who would rather spend their time getting drunk and watching MMO matches.

black_tea

Invincible_summer said:

But isn't there some harm and delusion that comes with activism like this? "Voluntourism" has similar criticisms laid against it as well - that because the actual people who are supposed to benefit from the charity aren't building themselves up, actions like this are only a band-aid approach that really do nothing in the long run.

My question is, what would you have people do? People want to help and make a positive difference, and I can't see why that shouldn't be encouraged. People in difficult situations sometimes need help building themselves back up, so how do you put that framework in place if there is no fundraising, no volunteering, etc? Some means of 'help' are more truly helpful than others, some organizations do a better job allocating their funds and seeing projects through, but that doesn't mean that no help is needed. Getting people involved is an important step, and if this does it, then great! I personally think that apathy is more of a danger to society than people sleeping outside for a week.

Invincible_summer

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against charity or awareness campaigns. I just think this one is being carried out in a problematic way. Why not just have the ol' charity concert or race or party or something like that? Why does it have to be some glorified urban camping experience that sort of downplays the realities of street life?

karasti

Because it's different, attention catching and media-catching. Everyone and their uncle does charity raffles and spaghetti feeds. I think it is more for the attention it generates versus the experience of the person in the tent/on the "street". Like when people chain themselves to trees or buildings. Sure, there are more effective things they can do, like write letters to their senators. But them chaining themselves to the tree garners far more attention which has the chance to get even a couple of people interested that weren't before.

Nirvana

There's a campaign happening right now across Canada that is trying to raise awareness of homeless youth and their plight, @Invincible_summer, and you put "raise awareness" in quotes?

I think it's wonderful and goes WAY beyond just walking a mile in somebody else's shoes. I applaud both the sentiment and the effort!

Embrace it as an adventure! You will be without reliable shelter and Will Be Homeless for a week or so, should you so choose to disembark on such enterprise. That's a real journey, IMO, and better and truer than some fancy getaway to some foreign country for ego's sake or whatever! Wandering in the "woods" and camping there a spell is good for the "soul." I'm assuming you'd be in an urban setting, but I'm trying to wax poetic a bit, since I'm so impressed by the idea of this.

The intention of the campaign is laudable.

Society is what you think it is; it is your thoughts, the map you chart of civil society. One question to ask yourself is: How about stepping back and taking a different view of the kind of world I live in and test my comfort zones a little? (Are you secretly ill at ease or afraid of doing that?)

As for going well prepared with provisions, well that's just prudence! No one can fault anyone for that, nor should you demean that aspect. Street people know how to get provisions too, and will get them if they can.

Let us know how you decide! Sounds like one of those memories for a lifetime.

Invincible_summer

Hmm, I want to add that the examples I gave in my previous post were for fundraising events - clearly they are not good ways to raise awareness! "Beer Pong for Sick Kids!"

@Nirvana - Oh no, I'm not considering participating. I think it's almost over now actually. I just know someone who is/has done it and have seen other friends post about this on Facebook, and cynical me has to go and deconstruct it.

This thread was more of a rant and a way to get others to deconstruct my critique, which has been accomplished. I realize that I sound like a complete twat and am seeing the positive side of this now.

I'll try to get this thread closed.

Thanks @karasti, @black_tea, and @Nirvana for chiming in!

BhikkhuJayasara

ah yes yes.. I've heard of this stuff.. it's so silly because just like you said.. they sleep outside with prepared supplies like it's a frickin camp out LOL.. thats not voluntary homelessness that is a camping trip.

I'm with you Invincible. They should volunteer at a shelter or do something that will have an actual effect. This is a perfect example of compassion without wisdom, their hearts are in the right place.. but..

karasti

LOL! You don't sound like a twat. We all question things, there's nothing wrong with that

How's this for a crazy charity fundraiser? In the town we used to live in, one of the student unions at a college there sponsors an event where businesses donate a portion of the nights profits to cancer research. Except those businesses are bars, and the even is the "Drunk Dash" in which the goal is to visit, and have a drink in, all of the 15 bars on the list within 5 hours. Few people make it to the end, but it raises a lot of money! Which is probably good because if they keep up the Drunk Dash mentality they are going to need that cancer research.

Nirvana

Before this thread is closed, let me state unequivocally that Shakespeare was right in his "all the world's a stage..." Pooh-pooh all you want, but taking on the "part" of anyone in a sincere way to raise consciousness and what-not is not a thing to be condemned by faint praise. You people under 50 don't have a clue about the importance of where and how you party to draw attention to some need. :clap:

At any rate, anything's better than being smug.

Nirvana

Sorry, but the ending of my post above was rude. I apologize.

My only excuse is that I hold very much dear to my heart the Imperative from Jesus that unless we be as little children in our hearts we cannot enter or see the Kingdom of the Heavens spread around about us. What is more childlike than enthusiasm for adventure of any kind?

I just absolutely HATE it when people get all so grown-up on me!

seeker242

It's better than stepping over homeless people on the sidewalk and completely ignoring them, which is what many people do...

From the website: "To date, the campaign has raised over $985,000 for charitable organizations"

They have raised almost a million dollars for homeless charities. What's wrong with that? So what if they are camping on the street, they raised almost a million dollars! I don't see what the problem is here!

karasti

I agree. I doubt the homeless people are offended that someone is sleeping in a tent to raise money to help them. Is working in a shelter really "better" if it is helping people who need help just the same? Perhaps it gives them a different perspective. There are some pretty amazing stories about people who "fake" being one thing to get information about how another group lives. People who pretend to be mentally ill to get into mental hospitals to observe and learn. People who are rich but live on a small budge to gain perspective. Actually Morgan Spurlock did an interesting series about this. It was streaming online on netflix and elsewhere for a while. It is called "30 Days" and is about various people with one POV living with or dealing with someone with the opposite POV for 30 days. A lot of eye opening things, very interesting.

I also agree with not getting too grown up

lobster

The smallest effort towards compassion is more compassion.

If you are an artist, learn tumo and do performance shivering in your underpants.
If you are a trainee Buddha, you are already on the path to homelessness and placelessness, even if comfortably ignorant of every blade of dukkha . . .
If you can spare change, change yourself and be generous.

Come up with better solutions, not questioning others well meant 'could be better' efforts . . .

You mean well, now do better and inspire us all . . . :clap:

Zero

Invincible_summer said:

...trying to "raise awareness" for issues...

What do you think of all this?

It seems to succeed at raising awareness - we're talking / thinking about it at least.