This week, the Office of Community Engaged Learning will be holding two Poverty Simulations for 110 pharmacy students. We are looking for volunteers to fill roles during the both simulations.
The simulations will be held:
Thursday, Nov. 17, 1*–4 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 18, 1*–4 p.m.
*We ask that volunteers come 30 minutes before the simulation starts in order to complete training for the experience. The simulation will conclude by 3 p.m., but you are welcome to stay for the debriefing and reflection from 3 to 4 p.m.
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 (e.g., bank, pawnshop, childcare center, school, employer, grocery store, etc.) that are staffed by volunteers. Afterward, participants and staffers conduct a debriefing.
Click here to see a list of the Community Resource Volunteer roles.
If you are able to help with the Thursday poverty simulation please sign-up by Nov. 15 using our Volunteer Sign-Up Form.
—Renee Sedlacek, Community Engagement and Service-Learning