Elon students take part in Poverty Simulation

Elon Volunteers!, the largest student-run service organization on campus, hosted a Poverty Simulation on March 4 where participants assumed the roles of the impoverished and navigated challenges such as dealing with government services and school systems, and struggling to get essential amenities.

The simulation featured speaker Buffie Longmire-Avital, an assistant professor of psychology. After giving statistics on poverty around the United States, she asked students to remember four names. Those names were her family members names, and she listed them in the order by which they would receive food growing up. She was the youngest, so when there was food, her mom would feed her first. She was followed by her grandfather, because he was the oldest. Lastly, her mother would feed herself.

While telling the story, Longmire-Avital spoke with such commitment that “she was shaking, but wouldn’t let her voice crack.”

Coordinators Rebecca Phillips, Kate Shafer, and Ben Lutz then guided participants into the simulation. Set in Missouri and after small “family” groups were created, the participants had to live out “their” daily lives. Within each 15 minute-week, families had to buy transportation and food while sending their children to school, avoiding jail, and paying their mortgages. After a while, all participants noticed the difficulty with trying to do everything needed for daily life with little money and resources.