Could you survive living in poverty? It may be difficult for those of us who are accustomed to having more than we need to truly understand the challenges of families that live in poverty each day. Poverty simulations held at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) serve to instill a greater sense of what life can be like when you live in poverty.
On March 30, Dr. Mark Bergel of the charitable organization A Wider Circle led a poverty simulation at the Universities at Shady Grove, in partnership with the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s School of Nursing program and UMBC’s School of Social Work. Participating students at USG assumed the role of a member of a low-income family living on a limited budget. The simulation was divided into 15-minute sessions representing one week, during which participants had to strategize and adapt in order to provide for their families and maintain a home on their assigned income.
A Wider Circle is a non-profit organization based in Silver Spring, Maryland, which provides needy area families with a range of services aimed at ending poverty. Since its founding in 2001, A Wider Circle has furnished the homes of nearly 20,000 families. Founder Mark Bergel, Ph.D, was recently named a 2014 CNN Hero of the Year.
To learn more about A Wider Circle, click here.