Homeless Reflection

The project that I chose to do for my service learning project was the homeless experience. The idea of this project was to show the students what it is like bring homeless for a night. We had to go around and inform people about the challenges that face the homeless and collect donations to help the homeless. After that we had to spend the night in a box outside.

I feel a little bad for the homeless after doing this project because I only experienced it for a night, whereas they have to deal with the weather night after night. The entire project made me feel sympathy for the homeless. Also that the homeless never really complain about their situation.

In total it took about two and a half days to complete the project. From calling relatives and friends to ask them to donate money to help the homeless, to trying to find a box big enough to fit my big ass in. Also the whole slepping in the cold didn't help at all.

There weren't that many challenges that I had to face to complete this project. The one that was the most hassle was trying to find a damn box big enough for me. No matter where I went, they either didn't have any boxes or they had crushed hem down for recycling.

I learned that not every homeless person is a vagrant or a drain on society. Some homeless people are average families that lost their home to a natural disaster. I learned that I have a pretty good life and that there are others that are much worse off than I am, so I should stop my bitching about how hard my life is and look at someone else's life.

I learned how to speak to people in a door-to-door situation. Also that most people don't understand the homeless problem in America today. Also that most people don't want to do anything about the homeless problem.

I believe that the experience fulfilled the course objectives completely. If I didn't have to sleep outside for a night then I probably wouldn't understand how homeless people live every night. Also that it SUCKS to sleep in a cold box.

I would recommend this project to any of my peers who are interested in learning about the homeless. I think that the only way to learn how the homeless live is to experience it yourself. That's why I don't like going to soup kitchens. I believe that this project is an effective way to teach students about homelessness.