Poverty Simulation At The Rec Center Reflection Paper

On November 5, 2015, I was able to partake in a Poverty Simulation at the Rec Center. It was quite an experience. I was a fifteen-year-old girl who worked part-time at the local supermarket when school was not in session. I was living with my father, who was a full time worker, my mother, who worked part time, and my grandfather, who was paraplegic. We had to pay for our electricity, water, utilities, mortgage, miscellaneous and groceries. My grandfather was receiving disability from the government, which was nice. For my role in particular, it was kind of challenging. I did not know the days that I was supposed to work so I would just run back from school to wait in the long line at the supermarket to find out if I was on the schedule or not.
Some issues that were addressed in my assigned role was just that I was unsure of what I was supposed to do in the beginning. As I got into my role, an issue was that I did not have transportation passes to get to work. But, I could get away with not having one on the way to work because the bus driver would forget to take the pass. I was left in charge to take care of my grandfather when I got home and my parents were on the home from work. …show more content…
While the simulation was in progress, I realized how hard it is to work as a young child and go to school to help financial stability in the family. We had an EBT card that only lasted for a month’s supply of food. When I got back home from school, I saw how exhausted my parents were from working and running errands to support the family. I did not like the fifteen minutes a week because my parents were always running back and forth. It was a very stressful time for us. I learned that living in poverty is very different, stressful, and overwhelming. I am very thankful for what I have been blessed with and I do not take it for