Enlighten's Life Simulation

Living in poverty is more than a financial burden. It's a continuous battle for financial survival impacting millions across our country. A little over 10% of Vermont's population faces this harsh reality every day. Other northeast states vary from 8% to 12%. Poverty creates numerous challenges, including finding meals, accessing childcare, navigating rising costs of housing and education, and many other difficult situations.

The Life Simulation experience helps credit union employees, volunteers and leadership begin to understand what it might be like to live in a typical low-income family trying to survive from month to month.

The Life Simulation divides one month of living in poverty into four weeks . . . with each “week” lasting only 15 minutes. You'll be given various circumstances, such as being a struggling teen mother, unexpected unemployment, living with disabilities, and more. You'll have to manage basic needs such as food, housing, transportation, and childcare.

The experience will leave you with a new appreciation and a big perspective on how poverty affects families, the community, and the resources that are or aren’t available. You'll feel the seriousness of poverty and how it affects your neighbors and others in your community. 

Throughout the simulation you'll face difficult choices like . . . 

• choosing between paying rent or buying groceries
• deciding to spend your last few dollars on medication or transportation
• navigating overwhelming or unavailable community resources

Conflicts such as disagreements between married couples battling homelessness or the struggle of carrying around a baby while job searching will be experienced by some. Past participants describe the experience with words like isolating, impossible, and overwhelming.

The Life Simulation will challenge your perceptions of poverty. It's fast-paced and mirrors the anxiety and frustration often experienced by impoverished individuals. You'll learn the harsh reality that poverty typically isn’t a temporary situation but an ongoing struggle shaping every aspect of life. When each day is spent trying to survive, it leaves little room for opportunities to better a situation, increase education, or access healthcare.

The reason is simple. We're all about people helping people, and the Life Simulation builds empathy for the people you serve . . . whether across the counter, in a loan application, or in the board room. Many of your members face financial burdens. That's why they go to your credit union. By experiencing a glimpse of poverty firsthand, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the financial challenges people in your community face.