Simulations and Workshops

Ozanam Center Workshop Offerings

Below is a list of our workshops and simulations.

We are also happy to create programming to fit the needs of your group. To schedule, please email Ozanam@SVDPcincinnati.org with your group name, desired workshop, preferred dates, and goals for the workshop

POVERTY WORKSHOPS

Poverty Simulation

  • A two-hour workshop that allows participants to take on the persona of an individual experiencing poverty and experience “one month” of their life. The goal of this workshop is to better understand the complexities of the experience of poverty.
  • Ideal for people who want a basic understanding of poverty.
  • Group Size: 12 – 50 participants, plus six – eight volunteers.
  • Virtual (PlaySpent) or in-person.

Misconceptions of Poverty

  • A 90-minute workshop that walks through four common misconceptions of the experience of poverty and debunks these misconceptions with research and statistics.
  • Ideal for people who want a basic understanding of poverty. Best paired with a follow-up workshop like the Poverty Simulation.
  • Group Size: eight participants minimum.
  • Virtual or in-person.

SNAP Challenge

  • A two-hour activity that allows participants to experience the meal planning and cooking process while following a SNAP (food stamp) budget of $5 per meal for a family of four. It includes a presentation about food insecurity, travelling to a local grocery store/convenience store/food pantry, making the meal with limited cooking items, and trying each participants’ meals as we debrief the experience.
  • Ideal for high school students and older who want to understand the difficulties of living on a food stamp budget.
  • Group Size: 12 – 20 participants.

Take a Step Activity

  • A one-hour workshop that helps participants reflect on the “unequal playing field” that benefits some in our society, while making it more likely that others will be left behind.
  • Ideal for high school or college students, or young adults.
  • Group Size: eight participants minimum.

Hidden Rules Workshop

  • A two-hour workshop that explores the hidden rules of class and how personal experiences and environment relate to behaviors in the workplace.
  • Ideal for business or nonprofit staff members.
  • Group Size: eight participants minimum.

West End Walk

  • A one-hour, 1.5 mile walk through the West End neighborhood. We explore the history of the first neighborhood settled in Cincinnati, the events that shaped it into the neighborhood it is now, and the current events that are affecting the neighborhood.
  • Ideal for anyone who wants a better understanding of the struggles and the gifts of the West End neighborhood.
  • Group Size: six – 20 participants.

Rent & Utility Discernment

  • A one-hour workshop that allows participants to take on the role of the Social Services Team at St. Vincent de Paul – Cincinnati to review and approve a certain number of rent and utility assistance applications.
  • Ideal for high school students and older who want to explore the tough decision making that occurs due to social services funding.
  • Group Size: eight participants minimum.

RACE & IDENTITY WORKSHOPS

Implicit Bias Workshop: What We Don’t Think That We Think

  • A two-hour workshop that aims to define implicit bias, increase awareness of our biases in order to avoid biased decision-making, help understand the impact of implicit bias on others, and allow us to serve our neighbors in a more holistic manner.
  • Ideal for educators, social service professionals, or any group serving marginalized populations.
  • Group Size: eight participants minimum, ages 16 and up.
  • Virtual or in-person.

Conversion of the Heart: Race and the Catholic Church

  • A two-hour workshop that connects your charism/values with the Church’s teachings and writings on racism. This workshop hopes to define racism, identify the call within your charism to become anti-racist, and offer tools to have hard conversations.
  • Ideal for schools, parishes, and volunteers.
  • Group Size: eight participants minimum.
  • Virtual or in-person.

War on Drugs: Criminality and the Dignity of the Human Person

  • A two-hour workshop that dives into the history of the “War on Drugs” and how it formed our perception of the relationship between race, criminality and mass incarceration.
  • Ideal for people who want to understand the complexities of the historical policies on race and the justice system in the United States.
  • Group Size: eight participants minimum.
  • Virtual or in-person.

Identity Wheel Activity

  • A one-hour workshop that explores how social factors such as race, gender, and national origin shape our own personal identity as well as our interactions with others.
  • Ideal for people that want to better understand identity, intersectionality, privilege and oppression, and their connection to service and social justice.
  • Group Size: eight participants minimum.

WORKSHOPS SPECIFIC TO THE YOUTH

Food Insecurity and T-Shirt Bag Service Day

  • A day of service that includes a presentation about food insecurity and the opportunity to make t-shirt bags for use in the Neyer Outreach Center Choice Food Pantry.
  • Ideal for high school students.
  • Group Size: eight participants minimum.

Confirmation Retreat

  • A one-day retreat focused on different ways to live out our faith and discovering the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. This retreat includes a service opportunity, prayer, and reflection.
  • Ideal for those preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
  • Group Size: eight participants minimum.

Cause Compass

  • A one-hour workshop that gives participants the time and tools to reflect and discern which social justice issues they are most drawn to invest their time and resources in.
  • Ideal for high school or college students, or young adults.
  • Group Size: eight – 50 participants.