A group of university students is getting a taste of life on the streets — they're spending 24 hours living outside Vancouver's Library Square.

They'll have no food, no shelter and no income — all in an effort to raise awareness of youth homelessness in Vancouver.

The Simon Fraser University students were in high spirits Saturday — some played cards to pass the time, while others bundled up in blankets and huddled together to keep warm.

Eleonore Schramm said it's hard to imagine what life is like for the homeless youth who live on the streets every day.

"A couple of the guys volunteered to go dumpster diving. They got us some blankets and some cardboard, so we got the base set up," the student said.

"I'm really missing my coffee and I also got a really kick-ass bed," Schramm added. "I'm really missing my blanket and my proper pillow right now."

Event organizer and fellow SFU student Garett Senez said the goal is to break the misconceptions that exist about homelessness.

"There's a stigma, there's a definite stigma. There's a stereotype that these kids are useless, they could be working, et cetera. But you know what? These kids are smart, they just haven't had the same access and privilege that we have," Senez said.

The experience may be hard, Schramm said, but it's just an exercise.

"This is not really that hard for us, you know? It's a 24-hour period. We all have homes to go back to. We have lives, cars, furniture, and fridges filled with food, for the most part. This is an action for us, this is not our lives," she said.

The group is collecting pledges, with all money raised going to Covenant House, an agency in Vancouver providing shelter and services to homeless youth.