Photo: Community Action Partnership North Dakota
JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Poverty remains a serious situation for one out of every nine families in North Dakota.
Community Action Partnership North Dakota (CAPND) conducts poverty simulations to large groups for educational purposes. These simulations provide participants experience and understanding of what it might be like to live in a typical low-income family trying to survive month-to-month in North Dakota.
Andrea Olson is the Executive Director for the State Association.
Participants must then pay their bills on time to provide shelter and security for the family, find adequate childcare for children, get to work on time in order to get paid, and find ways to pay monthly bills on time among many other challenges.
The simulation can accept between 44 to 80 participants in the roles of up to 26 different family members facing poverty.
Olson stresses this is not a game, but an interactive learning experience using real life situations for real families CAPND works with.
The simulation is conducted in a large room with the “families” seated in groups in the center. Around the perimeter are tables representing community resources and services for participants. These services include a bank, super center, Community Action Agency, employer, utility company, pawn broker, grocery store, social service agency, faith-based agency, payday and title loan facility, mortgage company, school, police department, and daycare center.
The experience lasts from two to three hours and includes an introduction and briefing, the actual simulation exercise, and a debriefing period in which participants and volunteer staffers share their feelings and experiences and talk about what they have learned about the lives of people in poverty.
The simulation is free and open to anyone who wishes to attend on April 4th from 9 AM to 12 PM at the Gladstone Inn & Suites.
Registration information is available on the Community Action Partnership North Dakota Facebook page or by calling 701-252-1821. Registration will close Friday, March 25th.
Listen to a full Let’s Talk About It with Andrea Olson below:
-
11/24/25 Let's Talk About It: Jamestown Community Thanksgiving Dinner
-
11/19/25 - Let's Talk About It: Upcoming Victory Lutheran Church Concert
-
11/13/25 - Let's Talk About It: Jamestown Parks & Rec
-
11/11/25 - Let's Talk About It: 2025 UJ Christmas Concert
-
10/28/25 - Let's Talk About It: Victory Lutheran Church Trunk Or Treat
-
10/22/25 - Let's Talk About It: James Valley Pheasants Forever Banquet
-
10/9/25 - Let's Talk About It: The Latest At Jamestown Parks And Recreation
-
9/4/25 - Let's Talk About Sports - UJ Football HC Brian Mistro
-
8/28/25 - Let's Talk About Sports - JHS Football HC Bill Nelson
-
Nurse Honor Guard; Robin Iszler and Sydney Johnson
-
8/6/25 - Let's Talk About It - JRMC Pillars Of Giving Gala
-
8/1/25 - Let's Talk About It - Fishing For A Cause
-
8/1/25 - Let's Talk About It - Raising Hell For ALS Awareness
-
7/31/25 - Let's Talk About It - JRMC Podiatrist and Foot & Ankle Surgeon Dr. Spencer Arndt
-
6/16/25 - Gospel Artist Ben Rutabara
-
Let's Talk About it: JRMC's 15th Annual Golf Fore Good
-
4/23/25 - Let's Talk About It - Bees & Brews - Stutsman County Conservation District
-
4-8-25 - Let's Talk About It - Deidre Hillman
-
01/21/25 - Let's Talk About It; With Dr. Roxanne Keene
-
12-2-24 - Let's Talk About It - JRMC
KQDJ Podcast
The KQDJ Podcast is your direct link to the latest local information from Jamestown and the surrounding area including Blue Jay and Jimmie Sports and Local News and Events. Catch local sports with Jarin Matheny as he chats with local coaches and players. You can also hear previous game broadcasts and interviews. Listen to Let's Talk About It, a community focused show highlighting area events and non-profits in Jamestown and Stutsman County. Let's Talk About It can be heard every Monday through Friday at 6:30 AM on Jamestown 107.1 FM.