An article published on youth.gov stated that “a survey of 15-year-olds in the United States found that 18 percent of respondents did not learn fundamental financial skills that are often applied in everyday situations, such as building a simple budget, comparison shopping, and understanding an invoice.”  As the Lyon County 4-H Youth Development Agent I believe that it is my job to make certain that the youth in Lyon County learn and practice fundamental skills such as financial literacy. The Reality Store program is a great experience for 8^th graders in Lyon County to gain knowledge, skills, and confidence in financial literacy. With the partnership of Lyon County 4-H, Lyon County Schools Family Resource Center, and Lyon County Schools Community Education Director, the Reality Store program was presented to over 60 8^th grade students. The students attended lessons before the program that covered the topics of budgeting, education requirements, and banking etiquette. During the Reality Store program the students had the opportunity to experience the Real World which included depositing their monthly earnings, paying a monthly car payment, making a house payment, paying rent, buying groceries, paying for childcare, and additional necessary monthly expenses. The Reality Store program is a great opportunity for students to understand the real meaning of needs versus wants. At the end of the program students were evaluated on their experience, here are the results:  

1. Has your Reality Store experience changed your thoughts about your educational goals?
   1. 50-Yes  79%                                                b. 13-No   21%
2. Do you think your grades in school now will affect your career and salary?
   1. 49-Yes 77%                                                 b. 18-No 23%
3. After Reality Store will you plan better for unexpected things in your life?
   1. 58-Yes 92 %                                                b. 5-No    8%
4. Were you able to use your prepared budget as a guide for spending?
   1. 38-Yes  61%                                                b. 24-No 39%

Student’s Change Awareness of the following topics:

1. Budgeting your money
   1. Decreased: 16%            b. Stayed the Same: 21%                       C. Increased: 63%
2. Making wise financial choices
   1. Decreased: 3%             b. Stayed the Same: 20%                    C. Increased: 77%
3. Making career choices
   1. Decreased: 8%                b. Stayed the Same: 22%                      C. Increased:  70%
4. Added Expense of Children
   1. Decreased: 13%            b. Stayed the Same: 34%                      C. Increased: 53%
5. Importance of Staying in school and making good grades:
   1. Decreased: 0%              b. Stayed the Same: 33%                       C. Increased: 67%

One student made the following comment after the Reality Store program, “I enjoyed the experience! Very educational on the topic of careers/financial spending. I will certainly make better decisions in the future.” There is a lot of value in the Reality Store program, looking at the results from the program most of the students that participated increased their knowledge about making wise financial choices. The results from the evaluation also demonstrated that the students now understand that their grades in school can affect their career and salary in the future. The Reality Store program consists of help from community volunteers, business owners, and high school student volunteers. At the 2022 Reality Store program there was 15 volunteers and 7 high school student volunteers.