Remember when you were a kid and you used to "camp out" in your living room or, if you were feeling particularly adventurous, in the backyard? Of course, there was always the reassuring fact that a real home and a hot breakfast were waiting for you when you woke up the next morning.

American studies major Aaron Clark-Ginsberg '07 is trying to remind the Kenyon community that this is not the case for many Americans, and is raising awareness of homelessness by camping out with students and faculty in tents next to Middle Path.

"I decided to camp out for a month to raise money for Habitat [for Humanity]," said Aaron. "I really do believe that there is a huge housing crisis in our country as well. I think something that bursts the idealistic Kenyon bubble is a really big fuss because we're the future movers and shakers and it's good to get people thinking about this stuff. It needs to happen."

Clark-Ginsberg began organizing the project last semester. He went about recruiting people and notifying the Kenyon community of his project via email, contacting friends and family as well.

"Sometimes," said Clark-Ginsberg, "people just show up and I don't even know who they are and they'll camp out with me. It's kind of nice."

The camping began Friday September 8 at midnight and will last for another two weeks. So far, Clark-Ginsberg has received about $2,000 in donations, which will go to the Knox County chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Thirteen people have camped out with him, including members from Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE).

Most people, according to Clark-Ginsberg, do not stay in the tents during the day, but rather use them as a sleeping place at night.

A few Kenyon organizations are participating as well. Canterbury is doing a relay campout in which different member of Canterbury sleeps in their designated tent each night. Reverend Karl Stevens, who Clark-Ginsberg met while doing volunteer work in New Orleans this past winter, was "a huge help in getting approval for the project," said Clark-Ginsberg.

He is hoping to use this project as a foundation for an Ohio-wide month-long campout involving other colleges but has yet to hear a response from the heads of other Habitat for Humanity chapters.

"I've gotten a lot of great responses," Clark-Ginsberg said. "I'm not very good at publicity so … I think the students are still a little bit in the dark with the whole project, but I've been sending out emails to friends and family friends … I think it's a success." Clark-Ginsberg has been keeping an online journal for the project, which can be accessed at http://www.kenyon.edu/x33457.xml. He is planning to camp out again next year.

Clark-Ginsberg is also interested in environmental activism and is the president of People Endorsing Agrarian Sustainability (PEAS), which is a local food activism group.