USF Nursing holds poverty simulation exercise with students and volunteers

USF College of Nursing held its biggest simulation exercise with more than 100 students and community volunteers on Nov. 7 at the Copeland Park gymnasium in Tampa.

The college collaborated with Tampa Mayor’s Youth Corps to implement the Missouri Association for Community Action’s poverty simulation known as Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS). This simulation tool was created to educate students and others to understand the day-to-day realities of low-income families and allow them to view poverty from different angles in an experimental setting.

During the simulation exercise, students role-played the lives of low-income families. Their task was to provide food, shelter and other basic necessities during the simulation while interacting with human services, grocers, pawnbrokers, police officers, bank employees and others. Volunteers from USF Nursing and the local community staffed those services.

Each family, played by the students, had a limited budget to provide basic necessities for their families while facing challenges including unemployment, illness and other unexpected events. The students used “play” money, fictional scenarios, time limits and other props to realistically complete the simulation.

To view more photos from the USF Nursing’s poverty simulation exercise click here.