Poverty Simulation Workshops

Live a month in poverty...in a few hours. 

One of our most powerful educational tools is the Poverty Simulation Workshop. The Poverty Simulation Workshop is a role-playing experience that offers the opportunity to learn more about the realities of living in conditions of poverty. Participants enter the workshop with an assigned identity and family profile. Participants experience one month of poverty compressed into the real time of the simulation (approximately three hours total). Afterward in the debriefing, they share the insights they have gained through the experience.

This process helps people from all walks of life come to a better understanding of the harsh realities of poverty. The power of the Poverty Immersion Experience lies in its ability to communicate, first-hand, the severity of the obstacles facing people living in poverty.

Check out our calendar for upcoming poverty simulations. Listen to a May 5, 2011 Michigan Radio story. Read the related article.

Hosting a poverty simulation is an excellent way to expand your community members' understanding of poverty in the United States. Participants report that they gain a better understanding of the obstacles faced by low-income families while at the same time learning what role they can play in reducing poverty. Download our research results.

2012-13 Workshop Facilitation Fees (50-101 participants):

• $1,000 within Kalamazoo County
  
• $1,500 outside Kalamazoo County

These fees cover some of the costs associated with Simulations, which are also supported by Foundations, PRI Membership Dues and Donors.

Email us at povertysimulation@haltpoverty.org if you would be interested in hosting a Poverty Simulation workshop at your organization or in your community.

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Research Proves that Poverty Simulations are Effective

When polled after a simulation:

• 93% of participants report they were more likely to view people living in poverty with an open mind to better understand their needs.
• 74% of participants report that they were more likely to work with community resources to assist people living in poverty.

See more research results.

Interested in volunteering?
Email povertysimulations
@haltpoverty.org.

What participants say

"I personally gained a heightened awareness of the difficulties of life for those living in poverty, a larger desire to help those in poverty, and also a realization that sometimes people in poverty are not in their situation due to their own faults, but sometimes events happen that cannot be helped"
- Sara Brown, Hackett High School Senior

"After this eye-opening experience, I have found certain ways I can become actively involved in helping people in poverty."

“I felt the workshop was proactive, eye-opening, and beneficial...I highly recommend the workshop to other local organizations who understand the value of elevating community awareness and understanding.”
- Ann Rohrbaugh, director KPL, 2008 Workshop host