Maddock, ND - North Star Community Credit Union (Maddock, ND) recently hosted the North Central Chapter Meeting at Harriman's Restaurant in Maddock, with approximately 60 individuals in attendance including chapter members from North Star, Community CU, and First Community, as well as Maddock community members.

The evening’s program was a Poverty Simulation presented by Community Action Partnership of North Dakota. The object of this experience was to sensitize attendees to the day-to-day realities of life faced by people with low incomes, to motivate those to become involved in activities which help to reduce poverty in this country.

The simulation involved participants who take on the roles of members of up to 26 families, all facing a variety of challenging, but typical, circumstances. To start the exercise, each family is given a card explaining its unique circumstances. It is then the families’ task to provide food, shelter, and other basic necessities by accessing various community resources during the course of four 15-minute “weeks.”

In addition, approximately 20 volunteers play the roles of resource providers in the community. Following the experience, individuals had the opportunity to discuss what they learned with their peers.

The Community Action Poverty Simulation is conducted in a large room, with participants seated in family groups with community resources located at tables around the perimeter of the room. The facilitator opens the simulation with an orientation to the activity, goes over ground rules, and answers participant questions during the exercise.

Community Action Agencies (CAAs) are nonprofits originally established under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to fight America's War on Poverty. Today, North Dakota has seven CAAs on the front lines of the battle, providing essential services to every region and all 53 counties of the state. To learn more, visit Community Action Partnership of North Dakota.