Poverty Desensitization Workshop

The SUTD Venture, Innovation and Entrepreneurship is organizing a workshop that aims to raise awareness about poverty and alleviate its impact on individuals’ mental well-being. The Poverty Simulation Workshop is an experiential program that will simulate the life of individuals living below the poverty line, highlighting the daily struggles that they face and the stresses associated with such a lifestyle.

The Workshop Experience

The Poverty Simulation Workshop will create an environment that makes participants feel as though they are living in poverty. Each participant will receive a new identity and be allocated different resources, such as food stamps, transportation passes, and money. Throughout the workshop, participants will have to navigate various challenges and obstacles that individuals living in poverty experience every day, such as finding affordable housing, paying bills on time, and managing finances.

The workshop will be divided into several rounds, with each round representing a week in the life of someone living in poverty. Each participant will experience the same round, but with a different identity, so that they can walk in the shoes of someone else. The entire process will last for four rounds, representing four weeks of poverty.

Learning Outcomes

Through this workshop, participants will understand the challenges and stresses associated