Poverty Simulation Volunteers

The poverty simulation is meant to help sensitize participants to the struggles people in poverty face on a daily basis. During the simulation, participants role-play the lives of low-income families, from single parents trying to care for their children to senior citizens trying to maintain their self-sufficiency on Social Security. Time is represented by four 15-minute periods, each representing one week. The task of each family is to provide food, shelter, and other basic necessities during the simulation while interacting with various community resources (i.e. bank, pawnshop, childcare center, school, employer, grocery store, etc.,) that are staffed by volunteers. Afterward, participants and staffers conduct a debriefing. 

Please note: this volunteer opportunity is only available for faculty, staff, and community partners, or students who have participated in a poverty simulation before.