By Gwen Solomon

This past summer, five youngsters who knew a lot about being homeless, but very little about making Web sites, created a site to help others understand the realities of homelessness. The result is Life on the Streets, an online project which provides an inside look at the issues of homelessness by young people who know them firsthand.

Besides presenting personal definitions and stories of homelessness, the site shows that San Diego isn't all sunshine and beaches, but is also a place where people go hungry and struggle to survive. The centerpiece is the photo gallery, San Diego's Hidden Face. Students photographed street scenes and added touches of humor and irony. For example, they labeled a photo of a bike pulling a cart of someone's possessions as "a homeless Cadillac."

The students wrote about the project, "We think our Web site will make a positive impact on our community, as well as the rest of the world, by helping others understand that many people, especially kids, become homeless through no fault of their own." The site has attracted media attention in San Diego and worldwide, including an invitation to be featured on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS.

While students were at different academic and technical skill levels, their goal of creating the site motivated them to pool their resources. In addition to learning about Web design, Microsoft FrontPage, and copyright issues, they discovered the power of the Internet for research and communication.

The project has also fueled their artistic and academic ambitions: this year, they plan to shoot a documentary to include on the site.