Having Tauranga youngsters step into the shoes of a Syrian refugee is helping raise awareness says youth worker Daniel Belchamber.

About 12 youngsters took part in World Vison's 'One weekend one backpack challenge”. Participants live out of a backpack filled with clothes, food and materials used to help build a shelter.

Some of the young people taking part in the 'One weekend, one backpack challenge” at Wesley Methodist Parish on 13^th Avenue this weekend. Photos: Supplied.

Daniel says the group are spending the weekend in the hall at Wesley Methodist Parish on 13^th Avenue. The group started yesterday afternoon and will spend a total of 40 hours in conditions simulating what refugee children in Syria have to go through.

Although the group admit they aren't living in the same squalor refugees find themselves in. Daniel says the youngsters from intermediate and secondary school have gotten a small taste of what it is like.

'Basically the whole purpose was that the young people had to pack what they were going to need to live on for 40 hours… It's just to make the young people realise what [refugees] are going through.

'Just to get them to start thinking and we actually challenged them to think ‘what can we do more?' It was interesting their reactions some of them said it was a bit of a challenge, sleeping on a hard floor or being deprived of certain things that they would normally have.”

Although Daniel hasn't done a final count of how much money the group raised, he says it was already more than $1000.

'The young people have been going around asking for sponsorship and the people in the church were so generous. Actually one person just donated $500 cash. That's above what the young people are raising.”