For the next month, you must work with the cards that are dealt you.
You’re John Smith, recently divorced with two kids and a part-time manufacturing job. Between child-care costs, putting food on the table, and normal day-to-day expenses, money is extremely tight. Then the transmission on your vehicle goes out, leaving you to scramble to figure out transportation needs and how to cover those costly repairs.
And never far from your thoughts is another lingering worry … what problems might be lurking just around the corner?
It’s a simulation, but a scenario that’s all too real for some residents in our community, with census data indicating that more than 17 percent of Joplin residents are living below the poverty line.
One Joplin will present “Rethinking Poverty” on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at Joplin First Church, a simulated experience designed to spotlight the challenges faced daily by low-income families, and to identify ways that we can come together to make a difference for those in need.
If it sounds like an intense experience, it’s by design.
Each hour will represent a week in the life of someone facing the hardships and challenges too often associated with poverty, says Dr. Kerry Sachetta. Superintendent of Joplin Schools, who participated in the program two years ago.
“You’re put through a situation where events just start cascading on you,” he said. “You’re suddenly thrust into this cycle and not able to get out of it.”
“In education, we’re often dealing with people on an individual level and may have a social worker or counselor who can help connect a student and their family with a particular group or organization. But we’re dealing with just one aspect of the issue. We don’t see everything that people are dealing with … that’s one of the things that was most illuminating to me (about this program).”
The goal of the poverty simulation is for it to be an “empathy builder,” says Nicole Brown, executive director of One Joplin. The nonprofit organization is led by a committee of dedicated individuals working to address local issues of poverty, health, education, and literacy by pooling knowledge and resources.
“We hear over and over that people have a picture in their head of what individuals living in poverty should do … that they can just make better choices and outwork the situation on their wits, but things happen along the way and it’s much harder than they thought. They hit barrier after barrier.”
The event is directed toward leaders within the local community, whose policy decisions and direction could have an impact on the working poor.
“What are the barriers we can help remove?” asks Brown. “We have to be compassionate and recognize the unique needs that people are facing.”
Communication is a major key to help address issues that people in the community are facing.
“Those of us who serve people need to be well-connected,” says Sachetta. “We don’t know everything, but we know other people. It reiterated how connected we need to be in Joplin; to be empathetic to people’s needs and to keep the safety net tightly woven.”
Event Details:
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23
Where: Joplin First Church, 501 W. Fourth St.
Cost: Free, but seating is limited (lunch will be provided)
Details: Register online today
