HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — It’s not how most high schoolers would choose to spend a Friday night—sleeping on the hard ground to learn a distressing lesson.
Nevertheless, several dozen of them from across Hillsborough County made that choice Friday. As night fell, they were completely exposed to mosquito bites and sticky humidity with nothing more than sleeping bags for bedding.
“You know, I’ll take one mosquito bite or one bad night of sleep if it means that I learn something important,” said Danielle Musry, a senior from Sickles High School.
Kimball, the president of the Hillsborough County Youth Leadership Council, was one of several dozen students who participated in Hillsborough County Children’s Services' first-ever “sleep-out.” The unique event allowed the young participants to learn about homelessness.
“I’m looking forward to increasing my own personal awareness on the issue of homelessness,” said Lauren Kimball, a junior from Plant High School. "I think that homeless people are very dehumanized in society, and by participating in an event like this, we can really showcase that this is not something that necessarily just these people go through. It is a very human thing, and we need to do our best to help these people because it really can happen to anybody.”
Craig Jewesak, the administrative services coordinator with Children’s Services, said the event was designed to give young people perspective and empathy for those who experience homelessness.
“Helping people understand the many faces of homelessness,” Jewesak said. “And once you understand that, once you know what the problem really is, it makes it easier to work on those changes.”
Change, however, won’t be easy.
According to a count conducted this year by the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative, 2,040 people are homeless in Hillsborough County, and the rate of homelessness is growing in both the elderly and children.
“There’s no silver bullet for solving the homelessness crisis, unfortunately,” said Jewesak.
Still, he’s a big believer that the sleep-out will make a difference by inspiring young people to become advocates, volunteers, and future leaders.
“I feel like hearing what somebody has to say lets you really think about how you can actually help them instead of, you know, just sitting there and saying, ‘I’m really sorry.’ We can, like, push for something to happen,” said Musry.
She and other participants are ready to make a difference.
