Making Choices with the Trident United Way

Trident United Way and Charleston School of Law hosted Making Choices, an interactive, hands-on activity that walks participants through one month in the life of a working family trying to make ends meet. 

The event, held on the Charleston Law campus, provided students with fast-paced exercises designed to spark honest conversation about “trade-offs,” stress, and the ripple effects of limited resources. Trident United Way notes, “It’s not a lecture, but it will make you think differently about poverty, systems, and the everyday decisions many families are forced to make.”

Making Choices provides training opportunities to help you better understand the economic challenges faced by those seeking legal services. Using a simple budget exercise, participants are asked to make real-time decisions about housing, food, childcare, transportation, healthcare, and other basic needs—and respond to unexpected challenges such as a medical issue or job loss.

For more than 80 years, Trident United Way has united our community to expand access to opportunities so all our region’s residents can thrive. Together, with our Tri-County change-seekers, we’re mobilizing a movement to lift up all our neighbors and colleagues to break the cycle of financial instability.