SOPS on the Road
Rethink Poverty.
The Virginia Peninsula Chamber Foundation is licensed to facilitate the Nationally Acclaimed State of Poverty Simulation (SOPS), developed by the Missouri Community Action Network, and would love to partner with you.
Why a Simulation?
Poverty is a reality for many individuals and families. But unless you’ve experienced poverty, it’s difficult to truly understand. The State of Poverty Simulation (SOPS) bridges that gap from misconception to understanding. SOPS is an interactive immersion experience, which sensitizes community participants to the realities of poverty.
The State of Poverty Simulation is not a game. It is based on real-world clients and their lives. SOPS exists to:
How the Simulation Works
The State of Poverty Simulation breaks down stereotypes by allowing participants to step into the real life situations of others.
Poverty is often portrayed as a stand alone issue – but this simulation allows you to walk a month in the shoes of someone who is facing poverty and realize how complex and interconnected issues of poverty really are.
- A single parent with limited resources and no transportation must find a way to get to work and get their child to daycare.
- An elderly person must find a way to pay for both utilities and medication.
- A young adult must care for siblings while their parent is incarcerated.
- An elderly couple must raise their grandchildren and deal with their own health and employment issues.
After the experience, individuals then have the opportunity to discuss what they’ve learned with their peers.
The State of Poverty Simulation is a tool that helps participants rethink the challenges that millions of low income individuals must face each and every day. More importantly, this tool helps people identify areas of change that can directly impact the effects of poverty on individuals, families and communities.
Living a Month in Poverty...
The simulation involves participants who take on the roles of members of up to 26 families, all facing a variety of challenging, but typical, circumstances. In addition, 20 volunteers play the roles of resource providers in the community.
To start the simulation exercise, each family is given a card explaining its unique circumstances. It is then the families' task to provide food, shelter, and other basic necessities by accessing various community resources during the course of four 15-minute "weeks."
The State of Poverty Simulation is conducted in a large room. Participants are seated in family groups in the center of the room, and community resources are located at tables around the perimeter of the room. The facilitator opens the simulation with an orientation to the activity, goes over ground rules, and answers participant questions during the exercise.
The activity lasts about five hours. This time frame includes an introduction and briefing by the facilitator, the simulation exercise, and a guided debriefing in which participants and volunteers share their observations and insights from the activity.
Interested in Hosting the Simulation?
Who Can Host?
- Customer Service Groups, Health Care Professionals, Educators, Clergy and Congregations, Social Service Providers, Elected Officials, Management Staff, High School and College Students, Community Organizations, Corporations, etc.
What Is Required Of The Host?
- Acquire a suitable venue (minimum 3,000 square feet); to include 14-17 tables and 124-180 chairs. (Venue Examples: hotel ball rooms, community center activity rooms, school gymnasiums, and church activity centers)
- Recruit 20 volunteers to assume the roles of the Community Resources (Note: volunteers must go through a one-hour training prior to the simulation)
- Recruit 28-80 individuals to assume the roles of the Families
- Provide water to all participants during the simulation
- Pay the facilitation fee in-full prior to the simulation date (Note: a facilitation fee will be charged each time the simulation is conducted)
What Is Included In The Facilitation Fee?
- A Facilitator and Coordinator for the event
- One 1-hour long training session for volunteers
- All simulation materials (family and resource packets)
For questions or more information, please contact Jaime Parrish at jaime@vpcc.org.