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Poverty Simulation Experience
About the Poverty Simulation
Even if you have never
experienced poverty yourself, it is likely that you cross paths every day with people
who are poor. For some, the wear and tear of poverty is obvious;
for others, it is a silent struggle. In any case, it hurts everyone.
The ROWEL Poverty Simulation was
created in 1980 by the Reform Organization of Welfare (ROWEL)
Education Association of Missouri and is now owned and
administered
by Iowa State University Extension.
In the simulation, participants
assume the roles of families living in poverty, including:
a newly unemployed family,
a family receiving public assistance,
an elderly person on a limited income,
an Iowa farm family.
Participants have four 15-minute
periods, each representing a week, to buy food, pay rent, and
interact with
representatives of community
agencies portrayed in the simulation by individuals who have lived in poverty.
The Poverty Simulation takes about
three hours to complete and includes an introduction, the
simulation activity, and a discussion/debriefing.
More
than 1,000 Iowans participate in the Simulation each year.
The simulation experience builds
awareness and changes peoples attitudes about poverty. After taking
part in the simulation, individuals saw themselves as more
sensitive to the plight of families living in poverty, more
compassionate and concerned, and less judgmental.
Schedule
The next
Poverty Simulation will be held:
January 12, 2012
9:00am-Noon
Gerard Hall, Allen College Campus
Waterloo.
For information and registration
contact Dave Cushing at 319-234-9912 (email:
dbq208s3@arch.pvt.k12.ia.us)
Find Out More
Click here to find out more about
the Poverty Simulation.
Comments
from Local Participants
I was
very impressed with the simulation. They had given the
simulation a lot of thought and it was well organized. It really
depicted an average family struggling with a bad situation. It
made you realize how real it is and how quickly we can find
ourselves or someone we know in that situation.
I learned that you need help and can't do it on your own! You
can try, but you spend a lot of valuable time missing
opportunities. You need help because most of us do not know
where to go or who offers what from an agency or a community
church. Many agencies do not offer that consultation to people
who come to them looking for help....
I would recommend it to anyone who deals
with people who are struggling with hard times. You learn that
what they are experiencing will affect their mental state, their
schooling and all relationships in general.
--
Patti Schmitz, Blessed
Sacrament Parish (2009)
I
actually experienced the frustrations of being a single mom of
two teen-aged kids. It was such a humbling experience to
realize that I had not been able to provide for their basic
needs during this month: my utilities were threatened with
disconnection ... we were evicted for a time for not paying the
rent ... no food was purchased for the first week ... my son was
held by juvenile detention for skipping school ... my daughter
kept asking if I got a job yet.... I spent my entire time
either buying bus passes, or sitting at the welfare office
(where I never got to see a welfare worker the ENTIRE time). I
really felt like a failure by the end of the month.
I was
surprised at how realistic this simulation became to me. I was
also surprised, and perhaps disappointed, that there were no
spiritual or mental health counseling agencies represented. I
think that this really hit home with me as I was thinking about
the simulation later in the day, and wondered if there had been
some type of spiritual guidance available perhaps I would not
have purchased the "gun" out of desperation from the Big Dave,
the pawnbroker, in hopes of solving my family's crisis by
robbing a bank or the quick cash store.
I think that I did come
away with the feeling of desperation that families must feel on
a daily basis. I am sure that I would do what I had to do to
feed my family.
-- Joni Hansen, St. Edward Parish (2009)
Posted 08.22.10
Last Update:11.21.11
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