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Stressed, Overwhelmed and Unseen: Stepping Into a Month in Poverty | Danika Talks COPE
Skip The Dinner is CareImpact’s year-end Christmas campaign, a fundraising non-event. You keep your time, and you give from wherever you are.
Right now, every year-end gift or pledge is DOUBLED by a generous donor, so your giving goes twice as far to help strengthen CareImpact’s work with churches and community partners across Canada.
Give or pledge here: careimpact.ca/skip-the-dinner
Each donation will be matched before January 1, 2026.
Partner with work of CareImpact and Neighbourly!
https://careimpact.ca/donate
DescriptionWhat happens when poverty stops being an abstract issue and starts to feel like your own life? In this episode, Shannon sits down with Danika Peters, CareImpact’s Community Development Facilitator, to talk about the Cost of Poverty Experience (COPE), an immersive simulation that walks participants through a month in the life of a family facing poverty.
Danika shares how COPE was built with people who have lived experience of poverty, why participants quickly became stressed, emotional and deeply invested in their roles, and how the room fell silent when the simulation ended. From social workers to pastors to teachers, people left with their assumptions challenged and their compassion expanded.
Together, Shannon and Danika explore:
- What actually happens in a COPE simulation
- Why the debrief may be the most powerful part of the day
- How this experience changes the way we see our neighbours
- Why churches and community leaders need spaces like this to learn, lament and take next steps
If you’ve ever wondered how to move beyond “helping” and into true understanding and shared humanity, this conversation will give you a glimpse of what’s possible.
To learn more or explore bringing COPE to your community, visit careImpact.ca/poverty
Time Stamps04:17 Interactive Social Services Simulation
08:33 Effortless Group Debrief Success
10:53 Impact of Stress and Helplessness
15:09 Judgment Dynamics Unveiled
19:22 "Empathy Over 'Bootstraps' Mentality"
23:44 "Canadian Context for Poverty Stories"
25:10 "Neighbourly Care, Community Impact"
Guest LinksCOPE: https://www.careimpact.ca/poverty
https://careimpact.ca/danika
Other LinksJoin The CareImpact Podcast Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1PgzJWfkq9/
Reach out to us! https://neighbourlypodcast.ca
Email: [email protected]
About the CarePortal: careimpact.ca/careportal
DONATE! Help connect and equip more churches across Canada to effectively journey well in community with the most vulnerable: careimpact.ca/donate
Mentioned in this episode:
Skip The Dinner-Double Your Impact
Skip The Dinner is CareImpact’s year-end Christmas campaign, a fundraising non-event. You keep your time, and you give from wherever you are.
Right now, every year-end gift or pledge is DOUBLED by a generous donor, so your giving goes twice as far to help strengthen CareImpact’s work with churches and community partners across Canada.
Each donation will be matched before January 1, 2026.
View all episodes
By CareImpactSkip The Dinner is CareImpact’s year-end Christmas campaign, a fundraising non-event. You keep your time, and you give from wherever you are.
Right now, every year-end gift or pledge is DOUBLED by a generous donor, so your giving goes twice as far to help strengthen CareImpact’s work with churches and community partners across Canada.
Give or pledge here: careimpact.ca/skip-the-dinner
Each donation will be matched before January 1, 2026.
Partner with work of CareImpact and Neighbourly!
https://careimpact.ca/donate
DescriptionWhat happens when poverty stops being an abstract issue and starts to feel like your own life? In this episode, Shannon sits down with Danika Peters, CareImpact’s Community Development Facilitator, to talk about the Cost of Poverty Experience (COPE), an immersive simulation that walks participants through a month in the life of a family facing poverty.
Danika shares how COPE was built with people who have lived experience of poverty, why participants quickly became stressed, emotional and deeply invested in their roles, and how the room fell silent when the simulation ended. From social workers to pastors to teachers, people left with their assumptions challenged and their compassion expanded.
Together, Shannon and Danika explore:
- What actually happens in a COPE simulation
- Why the debrief may be the most powerful part of the day
- How this experience changes the way we see our neighbours
- Why churches and community leaders need spaces like this to learn, lament and take next steps
If you’ve ever wondered how to move beyond “helping” and into true understanding and shared humanity, this conversation will give you a glimpse of what’s possible.
To learn more or explore bringing COPE to your community, visit careImpact.ca/poverty
Time Stamps04:17 Interactive Social Services Simulation
08:33 Effortless Group Debrief Success
10:53 Impact of Stress and Helplessness
15:09 Judgment Dynamics Unveiled
19:22 "Empathy Over 'Bootstraps' Mentality"
23:44 "Canadian Context for Poverty Stories"
25:10 "Neighbourly Care, Community Impact"
Guest LinksCOPE: https://www.careimpact.ca/poverty
https://careimpact.ca/danika
Other LinksJoin The CareImpact Podcast Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1PgzJWfkq9/
Reach out to us! https://neighbourlypodcast.ca
Email: [email protected]
About the CarePortal: careimpact.ca/careportal
DONATE! Help connect and equip more churches across Canada to effectively journey well in community with the most vulnerable: careimpact.ca/donate
Mentioned in this episode:
Skip The Dinner-Double Your Impact
Skip The Dinner is CareImpact’s year-end Christmas campaign, a fundraising non-event. You keep your time, and you give from wherever you are.
Right now, every year-end gift or pledge is DOUBLED by a generous donor, so your giving goes twice as far to help strengthen CareImpact’s work with churches and community partners across Canada.
Each donation will be matched before January 1, 2026.