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Jan. 20, 2006: REVISED NEWS RELEASE
Increasing the public’s awareness about the realities of living a life of poverty in today’s industrialized economy is the goal of the Poverty Simulation slated for Monday, Jan. 30, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Randolph Room of the Olsen Student Center, 3609 Peters Avenue, on the Morningside College campus. Morningside’s Academic and Cultural Arts Series (ACAS) and the Morningside Civic Union (MCU) are sponsoring the event.
Poverty simulations are designed to increase public awareness about issues related to poverty and to promote experiential learning. During the simulation, several Morningside College students, faculty, and staff participants will 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. The task of each family is to provide food, shelter, and other necessities while interacting with various community resources staffed by volunteers. After the simulation, participants and staffers will discuss their experiences.
“By holding this event on campus, we hope to encourage and promote civic responsibility by informing and educating students regarding these types of issues,” said Lacey Niceswanger, AmeriCorps VISTA Service Coordinator at Morningside College and one of the organizers of the event.
The ROWEL Poverty Simulation was created in 1980 by the Reform Organization of Welfare (ROWEL) Education Association of Missouri and is now identified as the Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS). The educational program is made available to Iowans through the Iowa State University Extension office.
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