Urban HANDS
Poverty Simulation
City Gate's Poverty Simulation is a great way to start any mission work project — placing participants' heart, mind, and spirit in the right place to do the most good however they plan to serve.
Here are the bare essentials:
- Poverty simulations are a part of City Gate's Urban Hands program and are generally conducted at the start of a week-long missions experience. The purpose of a poverty simulation is to immerse participants in the challenges faced by someone who is homeless or a member of the working poor, helping them gain new perspectives on the many issues associated with poverty.
- Generally, poverty simulations are between 12 and 48 hours long. Most run about 24 hours, from 4 pm on Saturday to 4 pm on Sunday the weekend before ministry projects begin. Participants arrive at a site (generally an urban church), are given an orientation, and then launch into educational and reflection activities. When applicable, participants sleep overnight on-site and the next morning go on a "scavenger hunt", which asks them to perform the daily tasks that a homeless person might do.
- Throughout of the course of the poverty simulation, participants are forced to make difficult and sacrificial choices that they would not normally face. For example, during the first evening of the simulation participants may be asked to choose between eating dinner and receiving a bus token the next day. The result is that some go without dinner, and others walk through the entire scavenger hunt. By choosing between two things that are usually considered "essentials", participants learn compassion for those who have to make similar choices on a daily basis.
- The poverty simulation concludes with an in-depth session of prayer and reflection. The goal is for participants to internalize what their experiences have taught them and commit to making changes in their attitude and actions toward those in poverty.
Our poverty simulations are open to people of all ages and experience levels — we tailor each simulation to the mission interests and experiences of each group. If interested, please contact Kristin Wiener, Associate Director at (202) 561-5113