United Way of Calgary and Area – Make the Month Poverty Simulator

 

Responsibilities

  1. Game strategy
  2. Scenario planning
  3. Creative Direction
  4. Writing

Problem

Experience trumps information. The experience is not how you feel during, it’s how you feel afterwards.

One in ten Canadians live below the poverty line. The United Way wanted to demonstrate how difficult that can be. Unless you’ve lived in poverty, it’s a hard concept to grasp. We know there are those who live below the poverty line, but what does that mean and what is the impact?

The campaign, appropriately titled “Make a Month”, challenged Canadians to live a month below the poverty line. At the centre of the campaign is a website that utilizes gamification to enable users to experience what it’s like to live for a month below the poverty line.

“Make the Month” is a digital poverty simulator developed by United Way of Calgary and Area (UWCA), in collaboration with local community partners and informed by both research and lived experience. It immerses participants in realistic, monthly budgeting challenges that mimic what low-income Canadians often face.

Key Features:

  • Select Your Scenario: Choose to simulate life as a single person, single-parent family, or a two-parent family.

  • Region-Specific Context: The tool customizes budgets, costs, and scenarios based on your location—tailored across nine regions in Canada

  • Interactive Decision Making: Over a virtual month, you’re presented with a series of real-life situations—such as food choices, medical emergencies, or unplanned expenses—and must make tough financial decisions accordingly.

  • Consequential Outcomes: Each choice you make affects your remaining budget, stress levels, and overall well-being—highlighting how even small setbacks can derail financial stability.

  • Deeper Learning: Along the way, the simulator shares facts about the broader social, mental, and environmental impacts of poverty, plus information on programs and supports offered by United Way to reduce barriers and enhance social inclusion.

  • Facilitated Sessions Available: The simulation can be used in group settings—such as in workplaces or community groups—with guidance from a United Way facilitator to foster deeper discussion and learning.

Why It Matters

  • Makes Poverty Real: Rather than abstract statistics, “Make the Month” offers a visceral experience by placing you directly into the day-to-day pressures of living on a shoestring budget.

  • Builds Empathy: It vividly illustrates that poverty isn’t just about lacking money—it’s about forced trade-offs impacting health, family, work, and mental well-being.

  • Inspires Action: Participants often emerge with a heightened understanding of poverty and are motivated to support initiatives and policies aimed at alleviating it.

Simplicity Meets Depth

Although it takes only 10–15 minutes to complete, the simulation offers a powerful and compact experience that combines digital interactivity with the potential for meaningful group discussions. For environments where digital access is limited, United Way also offers a tabletop edition—a hands-on version of the simulator using candies or “credits” that participants allocate across needs, with facilitators guiding through difficult scenarios.

“Make the Month” does more than simulate poverty—it humanizes it. By forcing us to face the complexity of everyday judgments made under financial strain, it invites reflection, compassion, and—most importantly—action. Whether you’re navigating it solo or exploring it with others, it opens eyes and hearts to the realities many Canadians live with.