4-H Reality Store 2019…Huge Success

On Friday, March 15th, the Owsley County Cooperative Extension Service in cooperation with the Owsley County High School, Owsley Drug Awareness Council, Youth Service Center and Farmers State Bank held their seventeenth (17th) annual 4-H Reality Store. The event was held to give students a glimpse of their future in a fun and exciting way; to help youth become aware of their need for basic skills in financial planning, goal setting, decision making and career planning; to clarify the need for young women and men to examine their attitudes about their futures and their career aspirations; and to motivate students to stay in school, stay away from drugs and avoid teenage pregnancy. Prior to the event, the students (grades 8, 10, & 11) decided whether or not they wanted to graduate from college, vocational/technical school, or high school. All decisions were based on the age of 25. This year the 8th, 10th and 11th grade students drew from a bag a career and salary that they used at the Reality Store. 

At the 4-H Reality Store, they pretend they are age 25 and sole provider of their home. The students first had to visit Uncle Sam which took out his percentage of their money that they had earned for the month. They visited the bank next which is where they deposited their money in either a checking or savings account or both. After they visited these two booths, then they could visit any one of the following next: Housing, transportation, property taxes, medical/dental, health/beauty, clothing, groceries, child care, utilities, communications, insurance, entertainment, furniture, contributions, supplemental income (extra jobs), S.O.S. (counseling), or Crystal Ball (chance card). The goal was for all students to leave the 4-H Reality Store with money in their account. The event was a huge success with students realizing whether the career they are considering would support the lifestyle they would like to have as an adult and the need to set goals to achieve their career aspirations.

In the end we had 28 community volunteers and 140 student participants. Out of those 140 students 95% stated it help them to understand the difference in a luxury item and a necessary item, 92% stated it increased their awareness of reality, and finally 76% said yes when asked if the program would aid them in managing a budget in everyday life.