School District 27J is taking an active role in enlightening the district’s leadership council during an upcoming training regarding the effects of poverty on individuals and families.

    The leadership council will play the role of simulated family members and spend a “month” in poverty. The council consists of principals, assistant principals, deans, directors and other key staff. Community volunteers will serve as social service agency staff.

    27J Community Outreach Coordinator Bev Esquibel is recruiting community volunteers to take on the role of social service providers.

    “Poverty simulation is a unique, interactive experience that helps individuals begin to understand what life is like with a shortage of money and abundance of stress,” she said in a press release. “It moves people to think about the harsh realities of poverty and to talk about how communities can address the problem collectively. Most importantly, it encourages people to make a difference.”

    Volunteers will be given material and training for the event the evening of July 22. Volunteers are not required to know about specific social service agencies, just willing to role-play to make the Community Action Poverty Simulation successful. A speaker will present information and the simulation will take place the morning of July 23.

    Staff is working on details and the location of the event. The specific time for the training is dependent upon the speaker’s flight schedule. Esquibel asks that those interested in volunteering block out the following times:

    Evening of Thursday, July 22: Training for volunteers staffing service agency tables. Training will probably take approximately one hour between 6 and 8 p.m.

    Morning of Friday, July 23: Education for all participants regarding the effects of poverty on individuals and families. Volunteers need to report at 8 a.m. and should be done by noon. Lunch will be provided.

    Those interested in volunteering should contact Esquibel at 303-717-5912 or e-mail her at besquibel@sd27j.org with “Yes, I want to participate in the poverty simulation” in the subject line and include contact information including cell phone number.