30 hour famine: Seen it? Done it?

[Mithrandir]

I ran across this when our youth leader sent it out to the sunday school teachers. Have any of you heard about this? It's a pretty interesting idea, that doesn't seem to be that tough to get rolling.

http://www.30hourfamine.org/

I'm really curious if any of you have heard about this, or have participated. Care to talk about it?

[Slater]

I did this about 6 years ago. It was way too easy... kinda trivialized the concept of fasting if you ask me.

[Mithrandir]

Wow. 6 years ago? I didn't know it was that "old" a movement. Did you do this as part of a group experience, like a youth group, or something?

[minakichan]

Did this with youth church group, a lot do it.

Yeah, 30 hours is too easy for relatively healthy people... (although I got hand cramps from volunteer work and couldn't use one for days =/) But I suppose that shouldn't be the whole point of it?

[Nightshade X]

Officially, I did it once. It was one of the most memorable and easily one of the best experiences I ever had.

Definitely one of my fondest memories of my youth...

[goldenspines]

I've done this fast twice, back in my high school days(which was not that long ago now that I think about it. XD).
It was only a bit difficult for me, since I have low blood sugar(and get massive headaches if I go without food too long, I survived though ^_^), but I very much enjoyed it; mostly because of all the activites that were involved. My youth group would play team building games, go out and do service projects and stuff like that so our minds wouldn't be on how hungry we were, but instead on serving God by loving others.
I think that's the whole point of the 30 hour famine really. Not to do it alone, but to do it with other christians and have fellowship and build your relationship with God.

I wish I could do it again, but it's rather boring to do it alone. ^_^;

[Tsukuyomi]

I've never done this, but it sounds pretty cool ^ ^

Helping starving children is a great motivator 8D

I'm not sure if I can go 30hrs. without food, but I can certainly try ^ ^

[ich1990]

My Awana club did this a few times. I never participated, though. I always had something else going on.

[bakura_fan]

yeah...hmm. did it twice with my youth group when I was 14 and 15 (I think). Don't recall much except almost all night gaming, and the next morning going door to door in the community for canned foods, and then when it was all over, pizza was delivered! I still have the sweatshirt and wristband I got from it.

[sharien chan]

My friends did it every year for many years. A lot of the youth groups in my area do this. I've never done it but I'd like to.

[Doubleshadow]

I did this back in high school. I didn't find it hard at all to keep to fasting and raised some money for the cause. At our church, the funny thing was, we weren't all that eager to eat the next day! XD One of the members of our group was diabetic, so his mother fasted in his place.

[Mithrandir]

It's interesting to see how people with various caloric restrictions can participate. This is pertinent to my interests. ^.^ Thanks guys! If anyone else wants to contribute, I'm still continuing to keep track of this thread.

[Kaligraphic]

I've done this by accident a few times.

The organized version has to be a good 10 years old, at least, because I remember talking about doing it with my church youth group back in high school. (We never actually did it, though.)

[Phoebe]

I've done it like probably twice. . .
It was really fun; we had a lock down at are church
and we did alot of stuff(my youth group) to keep our minds off
the hunger it was pretty easy until someone started to complain. .
lol . . . .

[uc pseudonym]

It's basically a yearly thing for my church's youth groups, so did it repeatedly back then.

Though I didn't find it difficult, that wasn't true for everyone. The important thing is that it raises awareness and it can definitely shake some people out of their apathy - I think most teenagers are able to understand that this is nothing like real hunger. Also, theoretically you spend the 30 hours learning about world hunger or doing something productive to help feed people.

[Warrior4Christ]

We're hardcore in Australia - we have the 40 Hour Famine.
I remember hearing people be involved in it over 10 years ago in primary school (maybe 12?), but I think that was less than 40 hours for the youngies.
I haven't done it, but I should.

[soul alive]

My youth group did it once or twice when I was in high school, but I was never allowed to participate - my folks wouldn't let me.

[xblack_x_rosesx]

I do this every year with a group from school (non religious, just... ya.)

For some reason we didn't do it this year.
I fasted for 30 hours though because I bought a leather belt and felt bad =P.

I liked it, it was fun. We did lots of activities, like bigger or better, where we started with a toothpick, went door to door asking people for one thing bigger or better, and then saw who ended up with the best thing.

My group ended up with a treadmill and a couch, and the other group ended up with some bedroom furnature and a kinda-dead laptop. We ended up donating everything to the native friendship centre =p.

It was fun, and rewarding cos we raised a lot of money too ^^

[Technomancer]

It was a pretty popular thing at my old high school (although I was never involved beyond the odd donation). I can't remember all of the details of how it was administered however.

[oro!]

I did this in middle school a couple of times. It was good- and for me, a pretty chubby kid then, it was a deal. It really made me understand what a lot of kids do all the time, no choice.
So yeah, I think that it's a good object lesson.

[EricTheFred]

Wow. 6 years ago? I didn't know it was that "old" a movement. Did you do this as part of a group experience, like a youth group, or something?

Did something like this (it wasn't called this, but it was the same concept) two years in a row in High School, which would be about thirty years ago. Youth groups from about a dozen churches all got together and starved, while doing activities, over at Walnut Hill Lutheran's gym. We got a meager little bowl of pinto beans just before going home, just so we'd all experience together how awesome even a little bit of food could be after going without for that long.

[Purplefire]

First time I did the 30 Hour Famine was 12 years ago when I was still in high school. Now, I'm the youth leader for the junior high group and our group has done the activity 7 out of the last 8 years. It really is a great way to shake our students out of their apathy and to get their focus off themselves and to take a look at others. We plan all sorts of group activities to do together like scavenger hunts, lip sync competitions and service projects. It makes for a fun weekend.