THE PRICE OF LIFEUnited Way Engagement Game

How much does it cost for a family of four to survive in our community?

What would I do if I

could not meet my

basic needs?

What is United Way doing to close the gap

between poverty and meeting my

basic needs?

Game Overview

Summary: This game is a great option for engaging an

audience on the real needs of people in your community. It can easily be adapted for small and large audiences alike. The following tutorial provides directions for various audience sizes as well as detailed instructions for the game facilitator.

Goal: To demonstrate how families living in poverty are

unable to meet even their most basic needs. This is why the programs funded by your local United Way are so important!

Game Overview Continued

How long does it take to play the game? About 15 to 20 minutes depending on

how long you explain the connection to United Way after.

How many people can play the game? 3 or more players. It works best when

you can have 5 to 7 teams of 3 to 4 people.

3+

Materials

What you need: A blank copy of the “Monthly

Expenses Worksheet” per participant (optional)

A writing utensil or dry erase marker per team

A notepad or dry erase board to display answers per team

Eraser or napkin for each team if using dry erase boards

1 Price of Life Game Board Display

Audience Size Game Options

Small Audience: If your audience ranges from 3 to 7 people, have everyone

participate as an individual contestant. Average Audience: (8 to 45 people) *preferred method to get everyone

discussing

Split the room into teams (doesn’t need to be perfect) and give each notepad or small dry erase board large enough for everyone to see it. Allow the group a minute to discuss amongst themselves (this gets everyone involved!).

Large Audience: (46+ people) For larger audiences, you may need to pick a few

contestants to “come on down.” In this case, still pass out the monthly expenses worksheet

so people in the audience can play along.

Rules Summary

This game is played just like the opening of the TV game show The Price is Right.

Contestants must guess the price of several items without going over the actual costs (listed in Monthly Expenses Worksheet attached).

In this version, contestants will be asked to guess the average monthly costs of certain basic needs.

The individual who guesses closest to the actual cost without going over wins that round. Two points will be given for a “perfect bid.”

The top two or three contestants/teams with the most points at the end of 6 rounds move on to the SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN.

The contestant or team to guess the final question closest without going over wins the game.

Mountain Climber Visual

This visual is very important in demonstrating to the audience that when living in poverty (a family of four living on $23,000 a year) it is impossible to meet your most basic needs without using the resources provided by United Way partner agencies.

The mountain represents the monthly income of $1,921

After you announce the actual cost of a category, move the mountain climber up the mountain, indicating how much of your monthly income you would have to spend on that particular resource.

Before you can get through all of the categories, you will run out of money for the month and the mountain climber will have to fall off the mountain cliff—even though you still have several needs you haven’t met!

Continue on through the remaining categories, explaining after each how far in debt you would be if you were in this situation.

Example Price of Life Game Board Display

Categories

Guessed Category Answers

Monthly Income

Velcro, to stick answers to board

Mountain Climber

Detailed Facilitation Instructions:

Step 1: Break up the room into teams. The number of teams will depend on the

number of dry erase boards you have. It is recommended to have 5 to 7 teams of 3 to 4 people.

There is no need to be perfect, so don’t take up a lot of your time trying to evenly divide the room, just group people together that are sitting near each other.

Detailed Facilitation Instructions:

Step 2: Explain the rules of the game. Example Explanation: You can start out by saying something like,

“Raise your hand if you’ve ever watched the show The Price is Right? Great! Everyone has! You all are going to be experts at this.”

Example: “Well, today we will be playing The Price of Life, so instead of bidding on specific prices of items you would find at the store, you will be guessing the costs of basic needs.”

Detailed Facilitation Instructions:

Step 2 continued: Example continued: “The government defines poverty as a family of 4

living on $23,000 a year or less. Think about that for a minute. That’s not a lot of money, and we are going to see today just how far that income will take us.”

“When you break down that $23,000 per month, you have $1,921. So that’s what you have to spend each month. (You can explain the mountain visual here; I usually don’t really explain it. I just move the mountain man up each time they spend money and I figure people understand what’s going on.)

Detailed Facilitation Instructions:

Step 3:Explain the first category. Ask for guesses from each team as to what they think the answer is. When every team has made a guess and revealed their answers, announce the actual cost. Stick the actual cost to the board. Ask them to guess as close as possible without

going over the actual cost. Make sure you explain exactly what the

category includes, because the contestants will probably have a lot of questions if you don’t explain it at the beginning.

It is recommended to have everyone turn their boards over at the same time. Don’t give teams very long to come up with an answer, although it is good to see teams discussing their thoughts. The game should move pretty quickly.

Detailed Facilitation Instructions:

Step 4:Move the mountain climber after the first category actual cost is revealed. You can let them know how

much is left after each question, but I usually don’t say anything until he’s about to fall off the mountain after you buy food.

Example: “Ok, so after paying for food you only have $71 left in your budget, and you still have other needs that you haven’t paid for yet.”

Detailed Facilitation Instructions:

Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the first six categories.

For the mountain climber: Continue on through

each category and when you run out of money make sure that you make the mountain climber fall off the cliff.

Detailed Facilitation Instructions:

Step 6: Showcase Showdown For the final question or the

“showcase showdown” bring up the top two or three teams.

If there is a clear winner before the showcase, just bring up whoever has points. The showcase functions as a winner-takes-all finale.

Bring one representative from each of the top teams to answer the final question without any help from the audience. Whoever guesses closest to the

final cost without going over is the winner. (Be sure to take a moment to celebrate their victory!)

Detailed Facilitation Instructions:

Step 6: Connect the game to United WayExample Discussion Points:

Share about how United Way’s programs close the gap between that $23,000 (government defined poverty level) and the Living Income Standard for your community (what it actually costs to live!).

Poverty is not just the lack of money, but it is the lack of resources. United Way funds the programs that make up the difference for families in need.

Try to share some specific examples of how your partner agencies could be used to lessen the burden/cost of those particular needs on the board.

Agency examples: The Boys and Girls Club provides child care (and a lot more!!) for only $7.50

a YEAR. That’s a lot different from the $221 a family could spend per month on childcare even with a subsidy.

Or think about how many food pantries provide food, other programs provide much needed counseling services, Urban Ministries of Wake has an open door clinic for people living in poverty which is especially helpful for people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes.

Our Research

The numbers used for the Monthly Expenses Worksheet for United Way of the Greater Triangle were resourced from:

Making Ends Meet After the Great Recession: The 2010 Living Income Standard for North Carolina by Alexandra Forter Sirota with Edwin McLenaghan from NC BUDGET & TAX CENTER, a project of the NORTH CAROLINA JUSTICE CENTER

Link:http://www.ncjustice.org/sites/default/files/LIVING%20INCOME%20Standard%20-%202011--REVISED_0.pdf

Sample Materials

The following pages have sample materials for The Price of Life game.

Keep in mind that the numbers for this game are community specific. You can use these samples to get you started and fill in your community specific information.

Monthly Expenses WorksheetANSWERS

Monthly income of $1,921 (The monthly income of a family of four living in poverty)

Rent for a two-bedroom apartment______$709____________Balance _____$1212____________ Spent= $709

Average utility costs ______$250____________Balance _____$962_____________ Spent= $959

Transportation costs ______$343____________Balance _____$619_____________ Spent= $1302

Food costs ______$548____________Balance _____$71______________ Spent=$1850

Child care costs (with subsidy) ______$210____________Balance _____-$139_____________ Spent=$2060

Health care costs with Medicaid ______$221____________Balance _____-$350_____________ Spent=$2281

Showcase Showdown!We can see that it is nearly impossible to make ends meet on $23,000 a year for a family of four. What does it ACTUALLY cost for a family of four to meet their most basic of needs for a year? _________$53,342________

Monthly Expenses WorksheetCan you guess the average costs of the necessities listed below?

How far will your monthly income take you?

Monthly income of $1,921 (The monthly income of a family of four living in poverty)Rent for a two-bedroom apartment _____________________Balance _____________________

Average utility costs_____________________Balance _____________________

Transportation costs_____________________Balance _____________________

Food costs _____________________Balance _____________________

Child care costs (with subsidy)_____________________Balance _____________________

Health care costs with Medicaid_____________________Balance _____________________

Showcase Showdown!We can see that it is nearly impossible to make ends meet on $23,000 a year for a family of four. What does it ACTUALLY cost for a family of four to meet their most basic of needs for a year?

_____________________

Sample Script for Bid Items Rent for a two-bedroom apartment

This is the AVERAGE cost for a month’s rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Triangle. Utilities

The average cost for water and electricity for a month. Transportation

The average cost for a month’s used car payment, insurance, and gas. (People tend to get carried away with this one, so let them know that this is not a nice car and you’re not traveling very far)

Food CostsThe average cost of food for a month. You are not paying for baby formula, this is just normal food.

Child care (with subsidy)This is before and after school care for your two school age children (so not for the whole day), after the subsidy. The subsidy is a percentage of your income, so it depends on what you’re making. Sometimes people want you to tell them how much the subsidy is, but we don’t have that information. Just let them know it’s a percentage of what they’re paying, and that answer is usually satisfying enough.People tend to get carried away with this one too, so let them know this is not a 5 star day care.

Healthcare (with Medicaid)What you pay for your family of four for a month. You’re on Medicaid, but even on Medicaid you still have to pay co-pays and for prescriptions.

What it actually costs for a family of four to meet their basic needs for a WHOLE YEARDon’t let the audience help the people at the front. Remind them that this is the cost for the WHOLE YEAR, and that we know it has to be higher than $23,000. They still can’t go over the actual cost.

Sample Discussion Questions What are some United Way Partner Agencies

that could help this family get by each month? What were your feelings as you saw each

answer revealed? Shocked? Surprised? Sad? Angry?

Which one of these needs did you find the costs so surprising?

How do you think this family feels at the end of each month when they are unable to spend any extra money or buy gifts for their children?

Sample Facts to Incorporate

The government defines poverty as a family of 4 earning $23,000 a year. In reality, it costs a family of four $53,342 a year just to meet the basic needs.

Currently 203,007 people in the Triangle live in poverty. Of that number, 65,264 are children under the age of 18.

Poverty is not just a lack of finances; it is a lack of resources. With the resources provided by the 149 UWGT funded programs, a family is able to stretch its finances and provide a better life for their family and hope for their community.

The United Way of the Greater Triangle is now helping nearly half a million people right here in the Triangle.

Without the resources to meet basic needs, there are strains on physical health, increased mental stress, and los of work and family relationships.

The recession in 2008 resulted in a 25% increase in poverty and we are at the highest level of poverty in the US since 1964.

Tips for Success

Remind the contestants/audience of the balance left after each need is met concerning the monthly income of $1,921 provided.

Keep the audience engaged and allow conversation about what feelings arise during the activity

Be sure to connect how your local United Way works to alleviate poverty by funding programs focused on providing resources and opportunities for people in need.

Appoint a high-energy facilitator to make the game fun and interesting

Be prepared to answer questions about the details of the categories. If you don’t know an answer make sure you follow up to find out that answer for the next time you play and to inform the individual with the original question.

How to Make the Price of Life Game Board Display

Materials Tri-fold project board Cardboard Sticky Velcro Paper Cardstock Clip for Mountain Climber Scissors Tape

Example Game Board Display without Answers

Cardboard

Tri-fold project display board

Sticky Velcro strips

Cardstock

Paper

Velcro is attached on the board and on the answers so the facilitator can stick the answers on the board as he or she goes through each category.

Cardboard supports

To give our mountain a 3-dimentional appearance we supported the mountain with pieces of cardboard. This way our mountain climber could

easily go up the mountain.

How to Make the Mountain Climber

Print a picture of a mountain climber. Glue the picture to a piece of cardboard. Cut around the outside of the mountain climber. Tape the mountain climber to a small clip. We used a refrigerator magnet clip for our mountain climber.