Teens Get a Dose of Reality at Reality Store

Imagine being able to see 10 years into the future. That’s just what teens get to do at Reality Store, a fast-paced, hands-on financial literacy exercise.

Before attending Reality Store, students complete a lifestyle survey where they describe their lives as 26-year-olds: their jobs, salaries, family, homes, even shopping habits and entertainment. CIS staff then compares their surveys with their current school performance and assigns fictional jobs, salaries and families.

Students are then challenged at Reality Store to make ends meet using their salaries to purchase all the necessities of life: child care, transportation, groceries, homes, utilities, etc.; plus budget for fun things like vacations and entertainment.

Teens Need Financial Literacy

Consider these statistics:

• According to a Jump$tart Coalition survey, high school students can correctly answer only 48 percent of questions about the basics of personal finance.
• In a recent Schwab survey of teens, just 26 percent understood credit-card interest and fees; and only a third could read a bank statement, balance a checkbook and pay bills.
• The number of 18 to 24-year-olds declaring bankruptcy increased 96% in 10 years. (Richmond Credit Abuse Resistant Education)
• A Harris Interactive poll showed that 32 percent of college students believe they were not adequately prepared for managing their money on campus.
• The average college senior graduates with $2,800 in credit card debt and $18,900 in student loans. (Nellie Mae)

Reality Store Works

It’s the connection between current school performance and future success that makes Reality Store work. Here’s what students say after attending a Reality Store:

• “I never thought life was that hard—now I know I need to be prepared.”
  
  
• “I learned that having an education is more important that everything else. I also learned that I should make some changes in my school work. Working harder can make a difference for my future. My future in the Reality Store was not what I expected it to be ... it is like a wakeup call.”
  
  
• "Before the Reality Store I was thinking of dropping out….The Reality Store helped me to realize it takes a lot to live and I should stay in school.”
  
  
• “I discovered that supporting a family is not that easy. Now I’m thinking I need to take hard classes for the next two years because I want to get a scholarship to go to college.”

Get Involved

VOLUNTEER at Reality Store to help teens make spending decisions on the necessities and luxuries they envision as part of their adult lifestyle. You will be provided detailed information and price sheets for your booth’s goods or services, so you can help the students decide how to spend their money. In fact, one student commented, “I like the fact that the volunteers just didn’t tell you what to do. They explained how things work.”

BE A SPONSOR for the school year or a single Reality Store. Several sponsorship levels are available. Sponsors are recognized at Reality Store and in CIS materials such as the website, Reality Store brochures, the annual report, the CIS newsletter and other materials. Sponsors also have the opportunity to provide volunteers to work at Reality Store.

To learn more about Reality Store, call us at (316) 973-5110.

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