08/19/2026
🎒 Empty Backpack Challenge 🎒
In recognition of Youth Homelessness Awareness Month, take a moment to imagine this:
You have to leave home today.
You can take only 3 items in a backpack.
What would they be?
For many young people experiencing homelessness, this isn't a hypothetical question. They may have only a few belongings and must make difficult decisions about what to carry with them each day.
Would you choose:
A phone to stay connected?
Medication?
Important documents?
Extra clothing?
Photos of loved ones?
What you choose can reveal what matters most, but it can also help us better understand the challenges facing youth who don't have a stable place to call home.
Empty Backpack: A Small Exercise With a Bigger Message
Recently, we asked a simple question:
If you had to leave home with only three items in a backpack, what would you take?
Many people responded with practical necessities, while others selected items with deep emotional value. The answers were thoughtful, personal, and revealing.
During Youth Homelessness Awareness Month, this question takes on an even deeper meaning.
For thousands of young people experiencing homelessness, leaving home is not a thought experiment. It can happen suddenly because of family conflict, abuse, aging out of foster care, financial hardship, or other circumstances beyond their control.
When a young person has only a backpack, every item matters.
A phone may be their connection to support services, school, friends, and family. Important documents can help them access housing, employment, and healthcare. A change of clothes can provide dignity and comfort during uncertain times.
Yet many youth also carry something less visible: hope for a safer and more stable future.
The Empty Backpack Challenge reminds us that while we may focus on what we would take with us, many young people are focused on a much bigger question:
"Where will I sleep tonight?"
As a community, we can help by:
Learning about youth homelessness.
Supporting local organizations that provide housing and services.
Volunteering or donating when possible.
Raising awareness and reducing stigma.
Listening to and uplifting the voices of young people with lived experience.
The next time you think about your three items, consider what it would mean to leave behind everything else.
Together, we can help ensure that every young person has what they truly need: a safe place to belong.
What did your three items reveal about what matters most to you?
