Simulated poverty exposes families' all-too-real challenges
Published 10.09.2022
The Pennsylvania College of Technology human services & restorative justice major joined more than 50 fellow students and 25 college employees in the recent interactive, immersive experience. The stress and anxiety stirred by the event were palpable for all participants.
In conjunction with BLaST Intermediate Unit 17, faculty in human services & restorative justice coordinated the effort as a professional development session for their students. Emergency management & homeland security majors also participated in the experiential learning opportunity.
Students were assigned to act out roles in 15 different family units who earn more than the Federal Poverty Level but less than the basic cost of living. Employee volunteers, including faculty in various majors and staff from across campus, also portrayed various parts, such as employers, child care workers, social service caseworkers, mortgage or rent collectors, and law enforcement officers.“The thing that impacts me the most when facilitating these poverty simulations is – people really buy into it whether they’re volunteering at an agency table or participating as part of a family,” said Monica A. McCarty, school outreach specialist with BLaST IU 17. “The family members buy into it quickly, wanting to meet their family’s needs, pay their bills, take care of their kids, but then, life happens. They get a flat tire or one of their kids gets sick, and they have to miss work to go get them. And all of a sudden, whatever little savings they had is gone, or maybe they have to put things on a credit card or skip another bill, and it doesn’t take much to put a family behind. People realize really quickly how difficult it is to be an ALICE (asset-limited, income-constrained, employed) family or living near the poverty line.”
Utilizing a wireless microphone and a small megaphone, McCarty guided participants through the 90-minute simulation, representing four weeks in their lives as they juggled work, child care, transportation and expenses.
Examples of family units represented at the simulation were: single parents, blended families, nuclear families, grandparents raising grandchildren, a veteran and senior citizens living on fixed incomes. The main activity was sandwiched between pre-brief and debriefing sessions.
“I can confirm that our students benefited from this empathy-building experience,” said Jillian T. Scanlon, human services/social science instructor. “And we are hugely grateful to the Penn College community of volunteers who took time to support this endeavor. They made this experience possible and meaningful.”
During the debriefing, students shared their experiences, insights and transformed perspectives. One student, whose role was that of an 8-year-old, talked about how he felt hopeless, seeing his parents running around, trying to make ends meet; he pointed to the mental health impacts on each member of his family unit. Another said she “missed spending time with my significant other” because they couldn’t coordinate any alone time between caring for their child and working. Another talked about how “overwhelmed” the simulation made him feel: “This felt like way too much to handle. I may be struggling now (in my own life) but not at the level I just experienced.” He added, “I hope this is not what my parents experienced.”
The debrief also highlighted positives, including help received from others. “There were a couple of families who helped each other during the simulation, which doesn’t always happen, and speaks to the positive qualities of the student participants,” McCarty added. “Sometimes, when vulnerable people are at the mercy of others, others show a little mercy, and that can make a huge difference.”
With grant support from First Community Partnership of Pennsylvania, BLaST IU 17 purchased three Community Action Poverty Simulation kits from the Missouri Community Action Network. BLaST is providing the simulations as a free service to nonprofit organizations and community action agencies. The simulations aim to promote poverty awareness, increase understanding and inspire local change.
– Photos by Cindy Davis Meixel, writer/photo editor
Family units get acquainted before the exercise begins.
Monica A. McCarty, school outreach specialist with BLaST IU 17, gives participants an overview of what to expect.
The Field House offers ample space for the experiential learning opportunity.
The “father” of this “family” takes a stand: Gabe F. Hockman, human services & restorative justice
Playing the part of a 17-year-old son, Colin G. Browne Jr. drops his younger brother off at day care.
A corner of the space serves as “school” and “day care.”
Cards handed out at random spell out needs and opportunities.
Filling out a job application on a Field House wall is Nova L. Simcox, a human services & restorative justice mentor.
Jennifer R. Wahl (right), social sciences instructor, eagerly embraces her role as a pawnshop owner.
Busy “employers” at work: Maria N. Piselli, registrar, and Nate Woods Jr., special assistant to the president for inclusion transformation.
Nathanael M. Fivie-Eden, human services & restorative justice, receives a “health alert" prohibiting him for working.
Nicole R. Lichtinger, emergency management & homeland security, plays the part of a 7-year-old child.
The back of McCarty’s shirt says it all. In addition to her BLaST role, McCarty is a part-time psychology instructor at Penn College and a regional coordinator for Pennsylvania Network for Student Assistance.
Another corner of the Field House serves as “jail” and “juvenile detention” overseen by William A. Schlosser (left), instructor of emergency management & homeland security.
Renee Y. Bitler, assistant to college relations, pitches in with paperwork.
Jillian T. Scanlon, human services/social science instructor, helps Daniel A. Kehr, human services & restorative justice, understand his role as a 70-year-old veteran.
Long lines are purposely embedded into the simulation to stir frustration.
“Teenager” Cole N. Hillyer “argues” with his “mother,” Ashlee E. Massey. Hillyer is an emergency management & homeland security major; Massey is enrolled in human services & restorative justice.
Slow-moving lines and a protracted wait for social services stymie problem-solving.
It’s not all bad news! Katheryn E. Cline’s character receives a raise. She is enrolled in human services & restorative justice.
Melayna Ruth-Ellen Turner, human services & restorative justice, fills out forms in her role as a young mother.
A “family” returns “home” to find they’ve been evicted (and their chairs overturned and belongings tossed on the floor).
During the debriefing, Bradleeann Kathy Wagner, human services & restorative justice, shares her insights.
With worry on his face, Zakariah Jae counts his character’s cash. Jae is a human services & restorative justice major.