Henry County and Eminence Independent students have experienced the Reality Store program for over 25 years. This annual program is sponsored by the Henry County Cooperative Extension Service and the Henry County Family Resource Center.  It offers youth a glimpse of adulthood in a fun and practical way. The exercise helps youth to understand some “realities” involved in preparing for their future. Each year there are approximately 300 youth that attend and 50 volunteers that work the booths.

Before the event each participant must be prepped by pretending, they are 25 year old and imagining what they would like their lives to look like.  Then students are given their GPAs for the first 9 weeks and youth must choose an occupation based on their current grades. Students’ plans may include completing post-secondary education, not furthering their education after high school or dropping out of school. In this real-life simulation, youth make decisions on where they spend their salary, such as housing, utilities, groceries, clothing, banking, autos, medical, childcare, travel, entertainment, etc. Their salary is based on the average income for the profession they choose. The exercise shows them the many decisions they will face and, perhaps more importantly, how much those decisions cost. During the exercise, every young person will also deal with unexpected things that happen in daily life at the Crystal Ball Booth. If financial trouble crops up, they will be helped at the S.O.S. Table.

The goal is to help youth learn whether their chosen occupation will support the type of lifestyle they want.  It also allows youth to see that good grades can bring more opportunities for further education and higher salary careers. This dose of reality targets 8^th grade students as high school students who have a chance to try again four years later to set goals and make plans for their future.

Students from Henry County and Eminence Independent Schools have commented on evaluations overwhelmingly that children are very expensive, that taxes are too high. Many realize that a second job could be a reality for many of them.  Senior participants comment that they have learned from the first time they tried the event from their 8^th grade year, and they conserve spending as much as possible.  Several have stated that this program changed their mind about their career paths after seeing how much income other salaries offered compared to their first choice.