Many young people will enter adulthood without the essential financial knowledge and skills they need to make informed choices about their money. According to a July 2022 FINRA Foundation national financial capability study, a persistent financial literacy gap exists in the U.S. Locally, the Kentucky Extension Community Needs Assessment highlighted the community's need for life skills training and career readiness among youth in Hickman County. These essential skills included money management, life decision-making, and personal financial understanding. In response, the It's Your Reality program, a promising solution to these priority issues, was born out of a collaborative partnership with Hickman County High School, KAPS Family Resource Youth Service Center, and community volunteers. This partnership not only demonstrates the program's success in addressing the community's needs but also makes each member feel involved and valued in the process. 

In the It's Your Reality program, youth assume the role of the financial provider of the home and are tasked with making critical decisions about lifestyle and budget choices similar to those that they will be required to make in the future. A planning committee within the community was assembled to plan, promote, and facilitate the 2023 program. Prior to the simulation, the team provided financial management discussions during school instructional time to ensure the participating youth grasped basic knowledge of needs and wants. This team engaged 32 volunteers from vast areas of the county for the program. From financial lenders to religious leaders, volunteers managed booths where youth might spend money in the future. 

110 youth participated in the program this year from Hickman County Middle and High Schools. Following the simulation, the youth were provided with a survey to complete. The results were as follows:

• 88% Report a greater understanding of budgeting their money
• 83% Report a greater understanding of making wise financial choices
• 63% Report a greater understanding of how credit card debt will impact future financial choices
• 83% Report a greater understanding of how student loan debt will impact future choices
• 83% Report a greater understanding of the link between career choice and lifestyle
• 88% Report a greater understanding  of what it costs to maintain a household
• 83% Report a greater understanding of what it costs to raise a child
• 83% Report a greater understanding of how the amount of money made will influence their lifestyle

Within the next three months,  83 % of youth reported that they were definitely or quite likely to study harder, work harder on homework, start saving money for the future, and set up a spending budget. One tenth-grade student reported that they “learned how job choices can affect aspects of earning and everyday life.”  4-H offers youth ways to find their spark- a talent, skill, interest, or special quality they are passionate about. Simulations like this allow students to make important connections between their sparks and their future.