An educational simulation for the head and the heart: The statistics are shocking. In our world today roughly 1.3 billion people live in what’s known as ‘extreme poverty’, surviving on less than the equivalent of $1.25 per day. Over 3 billion people, nearly half the global population, live on just $2.50 per day.
The numbers are huge but sometimes they can feel too enormous to comprehend. What do we do when information like this fails to move us? There is an old proverb: ‘To understand a person you must first walk a mile in their shoes.’
The Poverty Trap simulation provided all 172 Year 9 Geography students with a glimpse of the challenges faced by those living in extreme poverty and desperation. Designed to bring participants closer to these issues, it is educational and awareness-raising, but also aims to generate empathy. Ultimately we want to see our students moved to take action, using all the skills and resources they have to positively transform our world.
