Simulation activity to focus on poverty
To bring awareness of the struggles families face living in the state of poverty, the Family and Consumer Science Department of Chadron State College will be hosting a Poverty Simulation on Friday, Feb. 18 from 2-5 p.m. in the Student Center. The simulation will be conducted by extension educators from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Carla Mahar and Jamie Goffena.
In the simulation participants will assume roles of families facing poverty. Some families are newly unemployed, some are recently deserted by the “breadwinner”, some are homeless, and others are recipients of temporary assistance. Still others are senior citizens with limited income or grandparents raising their grandchildren. During the afternoon simulation, the task of the “families” will be to provide for basic necessities and shelter during the course of four 15 minute “weeks”.
During this time families will interact with volunteer staffers playing the role of human service agencies, grocers, pawnbrokers, bill collectors, job interviewers, police officers, teachers, and others to experience what it is like to live in the “state of poverty.”
The current poverty threshold for a family of four in the United States is $22,050. Nebraska’s poverty rate, based on a three year average from 2004 to 2006, ranks 12th in the nation. Dawes County is one of two counties in Nebraska that ranks the highest, 15.8 percent poverty rate. With the unemployment rate being 4.5 percent this means a number of families are part of the “working poor” struggling to make ends meet.
Understanding this reality can help sensitize those who frequently deal with low-income families as well as help create a broader awareness of poverty among policymakers, community leaders and others. If you would like more information about this unique experience, contact Yvonne Moody, Associate Professor, Dept of Family and Consumer Science, CSC, at 308-432-6368, ymoody@wxzjnt.com
Category: Campus News