Poverty Simulation Provides Professional Insights
Unaffordable healthcare. Undependable transportation. Unexpected neighborly generosity.
The ups and downs of lower-income families were explored through a “Poverty Simulation” arranged by the University’s nursing and social work programs. Student role-players navigated difficult decisions, gaining empathy and insights that will serve them well in their professional careers.
Ƶapp students participate in a poverty simulation organized by the University’s nursing and social work programs, role-playing real-life scenarios that highlight the financial and emotional challenges faced by low-income families.
“This can definitely foreshadow the hardships that many people endure in the real world of needed commitments, such as having a paying job for income but also having other burdens that pull them away from being able to work consistently,” said nursing major Jessica Woodaman ’25.
Nearly 40 million people in the US lived in poverty in 2022, about 11.4 percent of the population, according to the US Census. Many households in New Hampshire and across the nation either cannot or barely make ends meet.
“Though this is a simulation, it’s not a game,” emphasized social work Professor Alison Mitchell, who acknowledged that some of the participants have first-hand knowledge of poverty.
Groups had to deal with a month’s worth of responsibilities, with 15 minutes allotted for each “week.” Fictional families gathered at tables in the center of the Merrill Place Conference Center and were assigned sources of income, possessions, and bills. Each group’s unique circumstances dictated how they conducted their affairs with the student-staffed agencies, businesses, and nonprofits arrayed around the room’s perimeter.
Students gained a better appreciation of the challenges faced by people with low incomes, including social determinants of health (SDOH), the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. The interdisciplinary, Cluster collaboration between the nursing and social work programs also aided professional understanding. “It helps all of us work more effectively in our respective worlds,” noted Mitchell. “We need to work together; that’s a reality in a small rural state.”
Jayna Bigelow ’26, a social work major, engages in a focused discussion with a fellow participant during Plymouth State’s poverty simulation, deepening her understanding of the real-life challenges faced by low-income families.
The simulation highlighted challenges of low-income life. Transportation is a crucial consideration, particularly in rural areas, where community resources are rarely conveniently located near residences. “A lot came up that I hadn’t considered before,” said social work major Jayna Bigelow ’26. “For example, at one point my ‘mother’ arrived at work but did not have enough transportation passes so she had to go back home to get some, then was fired when she returned because she was late.”
Students also grasped the difficulty of prioritizing healthcare above other pressing needs, such as food and shelter. “Expensive health insurance and medical care can be intimidating for a lot of people who cannot afford it, leading them to neglect needed health provisions,” said Woodaman. “This is an unfortunate but common finding in today's world.”
Caeden Berry ’26, a psychology major at Ƶapp, poses for a photo during the University's poverty simulation event, where his group operated a mock mortgage company, an exercise designed to deepen students' understanding of financial hardship and community resource navigation.
“Students learn how hard it is to get everything done,” said nursing Professor Julie Cote. “Some get creative and underground markets spring up and they trade things, and sometimes there’s desperation when they receive a wild card, like a car breaking down. They see the impact of systems that are not created or functioning to serve the people who need them.”
“The simulation felt remarkably realistic,” said Caeden Berry ’26, a psychology major whose group ran a mortgage company. “One example that stands out was when we had to turn away a homeless family because they couldn’t pay the full amount to secure housing. They had to come back the next week, which left them homeless for another seven days. The reality is that such situations happen to real people.”
The event dovetailed with many course lessons. “The simulation went hand in hand with information I have learned in Case Management and Advocacy, Social Work Policy and Practice, Perspectives on Aging, and Child Welfare and Family Services,” said Bigelow.
“I think this will help me in my future career in social work because it shows me the various things families can go through that I hadn’t considered before,” Bigelow continued. “It also just shows all the curveballs life can throw at people.”
About Ƶapp: Established in 1871, Ƶapp serves the state of New Hampshire and the world beyond by transforming our students through advanced practices where engaged learning produces well-educated undergraduates, and by providing graduate education that deepens and advances knowledge and enhances professional development. The Plymouth State Cluster Learning Model emphasizes open, integrative, and project-based experiences. With distinction, we connect with community and business partners for economic development, technological advances, healthier living, and cultural enrichment with a special commitment of service to the North Country and Lakes Region of New Hampshire. To learn more about Ƶapp, visit .
