On April 21, I facilitated a poverty simulation for 146 students at Hartsville High School. Here are some of the comments from the students:

I think that the most successful part was learning how it felt to be in a struggling family moment and how to get by barely

I learned a little bit of how hard it is to pay the bills and take care of a family

I learned these things really do happen to people

Everyone learned how life would be if we were living on our own or with children

It let us know how it really is in the real world. How we had to think about how we were going to use our money.

It showed me that jobs aren’t anything to play around with

I will save some money

It showed me that after I get my first pay check you have bills to pay

I understand that I need to keep my job to keep my family stable

The simulation can teach us about things we need to do in the future

It showed me a situation that could happen to me.

It gave me an experience on what you need to do with money to stay fed and how to pay bills

When I get a job I will know how to spend it better

It can happen in real life

I won’t take as much stuff for granted

It will allow me to better understand what people go through

It will help me understand finances and other stuff

I will understand I got to work hard to keep my family okay

It will push me to do well in school in order to get a high paying job

It shows you not to be greedy and to be thankful and manage my time

It will help me make smarter choices

It opens my eyes and helps me realize how hard it is to live in poverty. It encourages me to want to help others in poverty