Talking Our Walk - Simulations

How To

Simulations create an experience that helps us "walk in someone else's shoes." In a sense the Walk itself is one long simulation - "We walk because they walk." This is literally true. Most people in the world get to where they are going on foot. Below are a series of other activities that could be inserted into the Walk at the beginning or at rest stops to deepen the experience of kinship evoked by the Walk. Select the one that grabs your imagination or make up your own. Materials needed will vary according to the activity. For other simulations see Making Poverty History: Hunger Education Activities that Work.

Step By Step

Near the registration area mark out a length 10 meters long. Invite Walkers to see how many steps it takes them to cover the distance. How many steps will they take today? For example, in a 10 K Walk multiply the number by 1000. If they were going to take one step for every hungry person in the world (800 million), how far would they have to go? (Having a person on hand with a calculator will help speed the math.) If you total the steps of all the Walkers how far would you have to go? Together our steps can make a real difference.

Thirsting for Justice

Label cups of water at a rest stop--most "contaminated water," fewer labeled "clean water." This simulates the lack of safe drinking water for 1.1 billion people worldwide - about 16% of world population. When someone drinks the "dirty water" ask them to walk to the next stop with one hand over their eye indicating that contaminated water has taken their sight due to river blindness. Encourage them to consider how much more carefully they need to walk using only one eye. How might this exercise and the Walk help us to see more clearly?

Walk a Mile in My Shoes

Invite Walkers to carry gallon jugs of water or stacks of wood from one rest stop to the next. Carrying water and wood over long distances is daily fare for many in our world.

In Search of Refuge

"Arrest" some Walkers at a rest stop and place them in a pen to indicate the fate of many refugees around the world.

Watch Your Step

Label cups of water at a rest stop - most "contaminated water," fewer labeled "clean water." This simulates the lack of safe drinking water for 1.1 billion people world wide - about 16% of world population. When someone drinks the "dirty water" ask them to walk to the next stop with one hand over their eye indicating that contaminated water has taken their sight due to river blindness. Encourage them to consider how much more carefully they need to walk using only one eye. How might this exercise and the Walk help us to see more clearly?

Health in the Village

A simulation that would be a lively activity to help launch a Walk, or at a rest stop. Available in the Making Poverty History resource.

Who Can Help?

Each of these simulations would be an excellent activity for a youth group, a student acting troup, or confirmation class. Students might research the issue, plan the simulation, and lead it during the Walk. Check with your youth minister, religious education coordinator, teacher, scoutmaster, etc. Getting young people involved as leaders, and trusting their imagination will enhance their participation in the whole Walk process.

People say,
what is the sense
of our small effort.
They cannot see
that we must lay
one brick at a time,
take one step
at a time.

Dorothy Day