Poverty Simulations
Believing that simulations are an effective way to engage the community and invite individuals to participate in Step Up, volunteers have agreed to conduct quarterly simulations and to respond to special requests for simulations as possible. The “Welcome to the State of Poverty*” welfare simulation is owned by MACA, the Missouri Association for Community Action in Jefferson City, MO. Groups of 35 to 75 people assume roles in 26 typical families living in poverty. The goal of each family is to survive for one month or four 15-minute “weeks.” In this time, the participants must maintain secure shelter, utilities, feed their families, make loan payments, meet living expenses such as transportation, handle unexpected emergencies, access local support services, keep their children in school - all while subsisting at or below the poverty level. The poverty simulation experience is designed to help participants begin to understand what it might be like to live in a low-income family trying to survive from month to month. It is a simulation, not a game. The object is to 
sensitize participants to the realities faced by low-income people. The experience lasts from two to three hours. It includes an introduction and briefing, the actual simulation exercise, and a debriefing period in which participants and volunteer staffers share their feelings and experiences and talk about what they have learned about the lives of people in poverty. These simulations serve to create a common frame of reference for people and to help dispel some of the myths about people in poverty. If you would like information on how to purchase a Poverty Simulation Kit for your community, you may visit Missouri’s Community Action website at: http://communityaction.org/Poverty%20Simulation.htm or contact their office at 573-634-2969.
How to participate
The simulation is open to anyone who wants to learn more about the poverty problem in Savannah. Registration is required, but participation is free. To register or post fliers, download flier available under downloads and fax completed form to Step Up’s office. For more information contact: Shawnte Tyler styler@savannahchamber.com or 912.644.6439.
*The Welcome to the State of Poverty welfare simulation was developed by the Rowel (Reform Organization of Welfare) Education Association, St. Louis, MO. Savannah’s Poverty Reduction Initiative is authorized to sponsor and deliver this program through a licensing agreement with Missouri’s Community Action Partnership.
