In July, over 300 Bank of America Student Leaders gathered in Washington D.C. for the annual Student Leaders Summit. During the week, students from across the US participated in LIFTopolis, an interactive event designed to help students understand and experience the realities of poverty in America through hands-on learning, empathy, and awareness. LIFTopolis places students into the role of low-income parents and caregivers, challenging them to navigate the complexities of the social services system.
For the 11th year, LIFT guided the Student Leaders through an immersive experience where each student was provided a detailed background story based on a real-life LIFT member and assigned limited resources to manage. They then attempted to secure housing, childcare, and public benefits while navigating a system full of barriers. Over four 12-minute “days”, students visited various service providers seeking to meet their needs. However, as in real life, they often faced long lines, unhelpful staff, red tape, confusing requirements, and closed offices.
Though the experience was intentionally frustrating, it served as a powerful learning opportunity. Students saw firsthand how a lack of information, resources, and coordination between providers not only keeps families in poverty but also forces them to make impossible choices just to meet basic needs.
“Proximity is the cornerstone of change,” said Stephanie Lomibao. “At Bank of America, we are committed to advancing economic opportunity and we know that to affect change we need to ensure we have the voice of the community. By delivering the LIFTopolis simulation to our Student Leaders, these future changemakers can better understand the challenges that many families face and brainstorm ideas to solve for a brighter future. Our partnership with LIFT is a direct reflection of our commitment to create sustainable change in the communities we serve.”
Following the simulation, students were invited to propose solutions to the challenges they faced during the exercise. Their ideas included leveraging technology to make services more efficient, providing additional training for service providers, and adopting person-centered coaching models to better support individuals navigating social services.
This year, three Student Leaders—Christine, Lucia, and Franklin—shared their firsthand experiences from LIFTopolis, offering valuable insights into the challenges of the simulation and their own ideas for tackling poverty.
Read about their experiences and insights below:
Since 2007, Bank of America has proudly supported LIFT’s mission to help underserved families access financial education and wealth-building tools to break the cycle of poverty. LIFT is grateful to Bank of America for the opportunity to collaborate and learn alongside their Student Leaders.