Community in Crisis - Food Depot (#900)

A fiery group of neighbours disagree about whether their community should have its own food bank. A volunteer mediator must try to make everyone feels heard, and then must consider what’s best for the whole community.

Learning Objectives

Setting an agenda
Facilitating group discussion
Mediating between parties
Acknowledging underlying interests
Prioritizing issues
Defining next steps

Information for Learners

As an external resource to the community, you have called a meeting to determine the needs of community members who have been obtaining food from a local food depot instead of the food bank that they are supposed to be accessing. It has been announced that the depot will be closing its doors imminently. The people who show up are all members of a housing co-op. This is the first meeting to discuss their options.

Simulation Details

Simulator Role(s)

Doug Barnes (between fifty-five and seventy)
Penny Smith (forty-two)
Nancy (twenty-eight)
Lars or Dolores (in their twenties or sixties)

Learning Role(s)

Social Work Student
Early childhood Education Consultant
Community Worker
Community Consultant

Setting

Meeting room in housing co-op