Children were admittedly scared, confused and stressed Friday at the Reality Enrichment and Life Lessons (REALL) simulator at St. Peter Interparish School in Jefferson City.
The simulation was facilitated by the Central Missouri Community Action (CMCA) as a way to give middle school children a taste of consequence.
"This is geared toward dropout prevention and good decision making," said Angela Hirsch, CMCA community service director. "It will give these kids the opportunity to see the impact that decisions they make when they are young may have on their adult lives."
The students had to pay bills, go to work, buy groceries and take care of fictional children, as well as handle several other responsibilities in 10-minute weeks. The first round was called the reactive round, in which students lacked some societal advantages, such as education or employment. The second round, or the proactive round, gave them more opportunities with education and employment, but just as much stress, Hirsch said.
The simulation was the first of its kind for the school and for CMCA, but elements were similar to CMCA's poverty simulator last October. Some of the volunteers at the REALL simulator were participants at the previous poverty simulator, including City Administrator Steve Crowell and JCPD Officer Kevin Kempker.
"One thing I noticed is that some of you were not trusting of the police, and that mirrors reality," Kempker said as he addressed a group of seventh graders after the simulator. "We do good things, too. But because we also have to do the nasty aspects of our jobs, it is easy to lose sight of that. ... We want you to leave here understanding that and don't hold a grudge against your public servants."
For other volunteers, this experience was a first. Susie Szumigala, owner of Susie's Stay N Play Daycare, operated a child-care table for the students' fictional children.
"I think it is very good for the children. They are really learning," Szumigala said. "I think the children that come here probably aren't exposed to the kind of lifestyle that some people have to live. So they are really learning how hard it is to make decisions and to budget and to have to meet all your goals throughout the month."
Not all of the students had simulated children. However, for the few who did, the fictional children were quite a burden on their fictional finances for food and day care costs.
"I think the day care scenario thing is really eye-opening for all of them," said Amy Brauner, a teacher at St. Peter. "I think they are realizing that we have kids and we can't just do what we want to do. We have to go pick up our kids, or we may have to pay extra. I think kids nowadays don't realize parents have to do all of these things."
Lianna Valdes, 13, described the program as stressful, stating she had to make decisions people her age would never really have to make.
"I had no job, I had no school education and I was not getting paid to be unemployed," she said. "I had no kids, but I still had to pay a bunch of bills and I had to ask people for money and vouchers and food stamps and all of that."
Another student, Shelby Kitchell, 13, described the simulator as "oddly interesting."
"There were things I have never been asked to do," Kitchell said. "I have never been asked to pay the bills. But now being thrown into it without any experience behind me ... it was interesting to see how much I failed. Bills aren't fun, and I am glad I am a kid for right now."