Story Published: Mar 19, 2010 at 8:56 AM PST
Story Updated: Mar 19, 2010 at 10:52 AM PST
Thursday on the LCSC campus, youth leaders from around the Valley gathered to take part in a poverty simulation. Each student was given a role to play based on real life situations.
"I had to play a 20-year-old mom, with a one-year-old child, living with her dad, who was 40, and a 9-year-old," said participant Marissa Bowen. "I had to take care of him and a baby at the same time. All the while going to college and having a part time job."
"I was a mother of one child and my husband worked. I stayed at home," said Elijah Mainini. "My mother-in-law was diabetic. She had to stay at home and I had to take care of her."
Volunteer coordinator Barbara Goldammer said poverty is a new issue for the summit, and was chosen because of how much it's affecting our world today.
"This year's different because we are focusing on poverty, which is a huge issue, especially with all the earthquakes that have happened around the world lately, poverty has come to the forefront," said Goldammer. "In the past we've focused on abstinence education and prevention, leadership and other areas like that."
Students said the main thing they took away from the simulation was how much they take for granted in life and how others rely on the community for support.
"I feel bad knowing that I've got all this stuff and I still ask for more and more from my parents," said Bowen. "There's people that have nothing and they're trying to look for food. I look at life a lot differently now."
The conference features 20 breakout sessions targeting youth and adults, including substance abuse, leadership, positive choices, pop culture influences, teen dating, and relationships.
