“What About the Children?”: College Students Simulating a Child’s Role During the Community Action Poverty Simulation

Abstract

Research has shown that poverty simulations are an effective tool for teaching about the lived realities of poverty. In the Community Action Poverty Simulation, participants simulate the roles of adults, children, or community workers. This qualitative study analyzed college students’ reflection papers to assess their experiences simulating the child’s role. Three themes emerged from the analysis: helplessness, the impact of childhood poverty, and future actions based on the experience. Students who simulated the child roles reported feeling helpless, developed more compassionate attitudes toward poverty, and cited specific antipoverty actions they planned to take due to the experience. This study demonstrated the importance of experiencing a child’s perspective to help understand poverty and has implications for financial counselors, planners, and educators.