ACES promises to put students in others' shoes

An ACES event today will allow students to learn what it is like to walk a mile in the shoes of someone in poverty. The Poverty Simulation will take place in Dows Conference Center from 3 to 6 p.m., with registration at 2:45 p.m.

The event will address many scenarios including: what is it like to be a single parent, what is life like for a child living in poverty and how does it feel to not have money to feed your children and pay your bills? The students will evaluate how they would react if they were in these situations and will learn how they can help.

Long-term trends show that more and more children and their families are living in poverty. Over the past 20 years, the poverty rate for children under 18 has increased 50 percent. In 1994, 21 percent of all children in the United States and 13 percent of Iowa children under age 18 were considered poor, according to the Iowa State University Extension website.

"BVU students are being trained to move into the world as leaders. My hope is that this experience plants a seed of knowledge in our students so they create programs and policies to help those suffering in poverty," Stephanie Schoening, director of student activities and leadership development, said.

Participants will be split into families, given a budget and will go about "living" in a community while paying bills, navigating services, illness and life's challenges in a real world simulation. Each participant is given a role in the family and together they will "live" for one month in poverty. The event will be broken down into four 15 minute simulations. Each 15 minute simulation represents a week.

During the simulation, families will be seated in the center of the room.

Tables representing community resources such as banks, the employment office, grocery store, and pawn broker are placed around the perimeter of the room.

Volunteers representing a police officer, utility collector, landlord, and illegal activities person also circulate.

Schoening learned about the event from a colleague at ISU, where she is a student in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies PhD program.

Renee Sweers from ISU extension will facilitate the event. She and other ISU facilitators have also brought this program to Morningside and Briar Cliff.

"It is clear that leadership in today's global village requires a personal understanding of poverty. This simulation provides a glimpse in a short amount of time and may encourage students to move further into the topic," Schoening said.

The Extension Program at Iowa State's poverty simulation is a copyrighted learning tool created by the Reform Organization of Welfare (ROWEL) Education Association of Missouri. It was designed to increase public awareness about issues related to poverty. The simulation exercise, known as the ROWEL Welfare Simulation, promotes experiential learning as participants live through a "real-life" situation

"I hope the students take away an understanding and humble respect for the millions of Americans and families worldwide making the best of the little they have," Schoening said.

It is recommended that at least 30 students participate in the event for it to be most effective. So far, 50 students are signed up for Friday's Poverty Simulation. Students may also show up at 2:45 p.m. to sign up just before the event. RSVP in the GSLC or by e-mail to Stephanie Schoening at schoenings@bvu.edu.

This event is brought to BVU as part of the leadership development program, Emerging Leaders, based in Schoening's office, and also received funding from the College of Social Science, Philosophy and Religion and Spiritual Life.

"I have not heard of another program at BVU providing this much depth and immersion into the experience in such a short time of 3 hours. I will happily bring it to campus again if this is a success," Schoening said.