Briar Cliff students simulate poverty

from Sioux City Journal

In an effort to increase public awareness about the problems associated with poverty and low-income living, the Briar Cliff University Nursing and Social Work Departments will host a poverty simulation from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Heelan Hall Auditorium.

Renee Sweers, nutrition and health field specialist with the Woodbury County Extension Service, says the poverty simulation invites students to play individual roles in poor families whether it's seeing poverty through the eyes of a young child, teenager, young adult, working parent or as an elderly person. Students will also be asked to play roles that deal with the poor and lower-income families, including employers, bankers and property-owners.

"This activity was created to show students what it's like to live in poverty as well as to give them an idea of the types of people, like landlords or social service workers, who deal with the poor and impoverished daily," said Sweers, who will facilitate the poverty simulation at BCU. "As nursing and social work majors, these students will eventually interact with families or individuals who are struggling to survive."

Briar Cliff nursing and social work students will be assigned to a family during the poverty simulation. Each "family" will receive an information packet that describes their situation, including available resources and needs. The goal for each family is to pay for basic necessities and shelter for one month (a week representing four 15-minute time periods). Students will spend each 15-minute period buying food, paying bills and interacting with additional community resources such as banks, grocery stores, pawn brokers and the employment office.

"This poverty simulation serves as a great benefit to our students who will eventually go on to careers in nursing and social work," explained Vickie Britson, assistant professor of nursing at BCU. "They get an idea just how poverty can affect a wide range of people."

Following the completion of the first hour of the activity, students and faculty will discuss the various situations and processes that were successful during the simulation as well as those that didn't work.

"We usually receive positive feedback from participants either from students or faculty," noted Sweers. "People find that it opens their eyes to what others are going through."

Sweers adds that, as a learning tool, the poverty simulation not only helps students in career preparation, it has also inspires them to make a difference in their community.

"We've seen more and more students get involved whether it's food and clothing drives or volunteering their time at the Gospel Mission or Soup Kitchen," she added. "It's all about raising awareness and creating an opportunity to improve the programs that address low-income families in the United States."

This is the third consecutive year that the BCU Nursing and Social Work Departments and the Woodbury County Extension Office have teamed up to bring the poverty simulation to the Briar Cliff campus. For more information about the poverty simulation at Briar Cliff University, please contact Britson at (712) 279-5490 or the Woodbury County Extension at (712) 276-2157.