This event took place as scheduled.
If you are interested in learning more please email us at Director@circlesrva.org
BIG VIEW POVERTY SIMULATION
Date: Wednesday, December 5
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Location: Good Shepherd Baptist Church
1127 N. 28th St.
Richmond, VA 23223
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What is a Poverty Simulation?
Poverty is a reality for many individuals and families. Experiencing poverty, even in a simulation, helps us to understand the daily struggles those in poverty live with. The goal of the simulation is to bridge the gap from misconception to understanding. It is an interactive immersion experience that sensitizes community participants to the realities of poverty.
During a poverty simulation, participants role-play the lives of low-income families ranging from single parents caring for their children to senior citizens maintaining their self-sufficiency on Social Security.
Why is CirclesRVA offering this Poverty Simulation?
What will you be doing during the simulation?
Nearly 60,000 Richmonders live in poverty every day. Many more have incomes above the poverty line, but their incomes are still low enough to qualify for programs like Food Stamps and Medicaid. It is difficult for those of us who have enough to truly understand the situations that families living in poverty experience every day – the decisions they have to make, and the fears and frustrations they feel. That is why we are inviting you to walk a mile in the shoes of those facing poverty by participating in the highly acclaimed Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS).
The simulation provides participants with the opportunity to assume the role of a low-income family member living on a limited budget. The experience is divided into four 15-minute sessions, each of which represents one week in which you must provide for your family and maintain your home. As one participant commented, “This poverty simulation dramatically demonstrates how much time and energy many families have to give just to survive from day to day. It quickly dispels the myth ‘that people would do fine if they would only go out and get a job!’”
There are two different ways to participate:
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- Participant: you will be simulating what it would be like to be part of a family living in poverty and surviving month to month. The simulation consists of four 15-minute weeks.
- Resource Table Volunteer: you will sit at one of the resource tables (i.e. utility service, employment office, grocer, bank, school, health clinic, quick cash etc). The families will need to rely on these resources to survive the month and will be frequenting some if not all the tables. As a volunteer you will receive training prior to the simulation.
When you register you will be given the option of choosing one, but I encourage folks to sign up to be a participant – we are looking for a total of 80 participants!
Good to Know:
Families with children are welcome and children over the age of 12 are encouraged to participate, however, everyone who is participating MUST register (group registration is available.
Childcare is available for children under the age of 12 who are NOT participating in the simulation
Event has taken place