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Educating Students, Classrooms, and Schools

Teach your Friends about Homelessness: Learn as much as you can about homelessness. Involve others by inviting your classmates to join in or support your efforts. Share what you learn about people who are homeless with them, and tell them to pass it on. If you or your family volunteer, bring your friends along.

Inform your Class: Do your next class presentation or report or paper on some aspect of homelessness. Ask your teacher if a person who is or who has experienced homelessness, or someone who works in a homeless shelter or coalition, could come and talk to your class.

Create a Service-Learning Program at Your School: Find out if your school would be willing to establish a program that allows students to receive recognition or credit for community service activities.

Become Involved in Annual Service Projects like National Youth Service Day and National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week: These projects occur every year, and help to raise awareness of the issue of homelessness. There are many activities, such as walk-a-thons, supply drives and rallies, surrounding each of these projects.

Participate in an "Urban Plunge": Spend a weekend experiencing what it is like to be without a home. Contact the National Coalition for the Homeless for more information.

Write to Your Newspapers: Send a letter to your local paper(s) about some issue related to homelessness. Ask them to run a weekly or monthly listing of area shelters, soup kitchens, and other services that aid homeless people, or are working to end homelessness, and the volunteer help that they need.