This is a special post written by Carol Mathieson – a good friend to PSVP and part of the Pittsburgh Chapter of YPO. Carol is currently working to host a poverty simulation in her daughters high school.
The Pittsburgh chapter of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) holds a wide variety of events and activities throughout the year. The most recent of these was a bit out of the ordinary for this group of entrepreneurs that were accustom to being lavishly entertained. We visited the Food Bank and took part in a Poverty Simulation hosted by PSVP. Not knowing what to expect, the evening turned out to be full of surprises. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank itself was impressive! From our quick tour, we learned a great deal about the impact this facility and the amazing people that operate it (mostly volunteers) have on the Pittsburgh community. Following the tour, we launched right into a 2 hour poverty simulation. There were about 40 people involved in the activity that lasted approximately 2 hours. We were each handed a packet that contained the profile of a person that we were to “be” for the next few hours. I was Linda, a 19 year-old single girl. I lived in a trailer home and had no job. I had a social security card, food stamps and a one-year old baby boy (that was actually a giant stuffed dinosaur). The goal of the simulation was to get through the next “month” of my life (each week was a 15 minute interval). I had to pay bills, buy food take care of my baby. I had to avoid going to jail, getting evicted or having my utilities shut off. I quickly realized after reviewing the materials in my packets that I did not take in enough money in a month to cover my expenses. I would have to spend some of the precious little money I had to try and get a job and apply for more welfare. There had to be a way… I made a list . I was determined to succeed at this game of life. Week one… my trailer was robbed and all of my welfare money stolen. Week two… the mortgage banker charged me a $70 late fee. Week three… the baby got sick because I wasn’t able to buy enough food. Week four… I became desperate and started pawning my few possessions just to survive. I spent each available moment on busses and lines trying to get money, food and extensions on my bills, all the while dragging the one-year old every where I went. To my surprise, I grew increasingly impatient, pushy and aggressive. It was every-man-for-himself. At one point a person who had robbed the pawn shop flew past me with a fist full of cash and accidently dropped a few bills at my feet. I was amazed at how swiftly and stealthily I snatched up that money, shoved it in my pockets and went running back to my trailer in celebration. Even my value system had fallen by the way-side… in less than 45 minutes. As the activity ended, I felt somewhat emotionally drained. I sat and glanced at my list from the beginning of the simulation. The third item read, “Get a job.” Time had run out and I had not even made it to the doorstep of the employment office. Believe me, it wasn’t from a lack of trying! The wrap-up comments that followed were profound and it was clear that everyone in the room had been transformed in some way. And, a week later, I find myself drifting back to that 2-hour simulation as I go through the motions of my day with money in my purse, gas in my car, 4 kids in school and a husband at work. Life is good… I knew that before, but I know it even better, now! The experience reminded me of the old proverb: “Don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his boots…” and I would add: “…carrying a stuffed dinosaur.”
