AMES, Iowa -- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 9 percent of Iowa’s population is living in poverty — more than 264,000 people. An educational program offered through Iowa State University Extension provides an opportunity to experience the difficulties these individuals and families face and “walk a mile in their shoes.”
In the Poverty Simulation, participants assume the roles of families living in poverty, including a newly unemployed family, a family receiving public assistance, an elderly person on limited income and an Iowa farm family. They have to pay rent and utilities, buy food and send their children to school. They also have to interact with representatives of community agencies — portrayed by individuals who have lived in poverty.
“Participants work their way through some of the situations that people in poverty deal with every day,” said Diana Broshar, ISU Extension program specialist. “They learn a lot and they enjoy the simulation. However, it is not a game for people who struggle to make ends meet, perhaps receive food stamps and work hard to take care of their families.”
More than 1,000 Iowans participate in the simulation each year, Broshar added. “We want to create a critical mass of people who understand what families are going through. Even if you’ve never experienced poverty, 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. But it hurts everyone.
“The Poverty Simulation works,” Broshar continued. “It builds awareness and changes people’s attitudes about poverty. For example, at the classroom level, teachers are changing the way they ask students to cover costs of field trips and extra materials so they don’t put struggling families under more financial and emotional strain.”
An ISU Extension study of participants showed that the Poverty Simulation is a powerful program, Broshar noted. 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.
“The simulation is appropriate for a wide variety of audiences,” Broshar said. “It can be used in rural as well as urban areas, with youth, and in culturally diverse communities.”
For more information about how to request a Poverty Simulation for your community or organization, visit the Poverty Simulation Web site, (http://www.extension.iastate.edu/cyfar/simulation/). Or, contact any ISU Extension county office.
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