Poverty Simulation at Bemidji State University

December 4, 2018

Badge: 2018-23 Strategic Plan: Priority 3The Bemidji State University Department of Social Work and the College of Individual and Community Health (CICH) partnered with four local, regional and national support organizations to conduct a poverty simulation on Nov. 30.

Participants were assigned roles and were tasked with meeting basic needs during the course of the simulation
Assistance services and shelters were set up throughout the poverty simulation room.
Assistance services and shelters were set up throughout the poverty simulation room.
Assistance services and shelters were set up throughout the poverty simulation room.
Assistance services and shelters were set up throughout the poverty simulation room.
Participants were welcome to engage in a simulation recap and roundtable after the two-hour exercise.

Dr. Sue Rickers, associate professor and chair of BSU’s social work program, was instrumental in bringing the simulation to campus and worked closely with Lakes & Pines Community Action Council, Inc., Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Bi-Cap of Bemidji. Denise Stewart and Dawn vanHees from Lakes & Pines Community Action Council Inc. and Leah Pauletti from Minnesota Community Action Partnership will facilitate the poverty simulation.

The purpose of the simulation was to provide a window into the lives of a typical low-income family. Participants assumed the roles of up to 26 different families facing poverty and were tasked with meeting basic needs during the course of the simulation. “Families” in the simulation experienced homelessness, being grandparents raising grandchildren, receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or disability support. A panel presentation discussing poverty followed the simulation.

This simulation was funded in part by the Bemidji State CICH Collaborative Innovation Grant which encourages BSU faculty to propose innovative projects that will increase student interest, involvement and interaction with faculty and staff. The CICH is home to a number of degree programs at Bemidji State that are focused on the betterment of our local and global communities.

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Calendar:
Nov. 30 – 1:00-3:30 p.m. – Poverty Simulation, a program to provide a window into the lives of a typical low-income family and a post-simulation panel presentation. Beaux Arts Ballroom, BSU campus. Admission: free.

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MN State logoBemidji State University, located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling more than 5,100 students, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. The university’s Shared Fundamental Values include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and international and multicultural understanding. For more, visit bemidjistate.edu or find us at BemidjiState on most of your favorite social media networks.

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