Hamilton College will host a program providing participants with a deeper understanding of the realities of poverty through a poverty simulation to be held Wednesday, Oct. 11, from 7 to 9:30 p.m., in the Annex of the Beinecke Student Village.
The Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) enables participants of all kinds to assume the role of a member of a low-income family and to understand the challenges facing that family and the remedies available to them as they attempt to meet the basic needs of their "families" over four "weeks," played out in an hour. Some will be Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) recipients, others will be disabled persons, others will be minimum wage workers, and others will be senior citizens. These participants can seek assistance from a variety of simulated aid services enacted by other participants.
Poverty affects more than 36 million Americans and, locally, 14% of New York State residents. CAPS is a useful tool for beginning to understand this all-too-common phenomenon and to discuss the potential and means for change. The simulation has been employed throughout the country to inform the community and provide a framework for future discussions of poverty policies.
This simulation is open to all members of the Hamilton and Clinton communities. It is asked that reservations be made in advance by contacting Sarah Wissel at swissel@hamilton.edu or (315) 859-2986.
The Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) enables participants of all kinds to assume the role of a member of a low-income family and to understand the challenges facing that family and the remedies available to them as they attempt to meet the basic needs of their "families" over four "weeks," played out in an hour. Some will be Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) recipients, others will be disabled persons, others will be minimum wage workers, and others will be senior citizens. These participants can seek assistance from a variety of simulated aid services enacted by other participants.
Poverty affects more than 36 million Americans and, locally, 14% of New York State residents. CAPS is a useful tool for beginning to understand this all-too-common phenomenon and to discuss the potential and means for change. The simulation has been employed throughout the country to inform the community and provide a framework for future discussions of poverty policies.
This simulation is open to all members of the Hamilton and Clinton communities. It is asked that reservations be made in advance by contacting Sarah Wissel at swissel@hamilton.edu or (315) 859-2986.
