Today’s youth are unfamiliar to the financial responsibility that their future holds so the goal of the Spencer County Extension Office was to enlighten youth through the 4-H Reality Store, an event that provided participants the opportunity to partake in the journey through adult life. In March of 2019 approximately 242 Spencer County Middle School 8^th grade students were given the opportunity to understand the importance of decision making and financial responsibility.

Spencer County Cooperative Extension Service provided the reality based financial program where the participating students learned the “reality” of being a 25-year-old adult. Based on their current GPA students chose a career and drew from a hat the number of children that they would have in the program. Before the start of the program “Uncle Sam” proceeded to take out taxes out of the salaries and left the students with a monthly amount that was realistic. Community volunteers, Youth Service Center Staff and Extension Staff manned booths that served as different checkpoints or pit stops for students to make purchases, pay bills or live as a 25-year-old adult would. Some students realized the costs of life and had to take a second job, while others learned about educational opportunities like student loans that made higher education affordable and possible to advance their careers.

The 8^th grade participants quickly learned the value of an education and how it correlates to future careers and lifestyles. Furthermore, students learned that an adult lifestyle is expensive and children will add to that expense. For example, before this program approximately 10% of participants had a level 4, highest level, of understanding about budgeting money, while after the program this statistic jumped to a level 4 understanding of approximately 41%. Another example is before the program only 15% of the participating 8^th graders had a level 4 understanding of the links between career and lifestyle and after the program this was raised to 43%.

In addition to the Reality Store, several of the 8^th grade teachers taught lessons that are included in the curriculum for It’s Your Reality as supplement lessons.  Each student learned about their personal needs versus wants, how much do I cost, budgeting basics, financial goal settings, and credit card basics.  This was added to this year’s program due the fact that this was the 4-H Youth Development Agent’s Youth Development Institute Project.  She wanted to make the wonderful program Reality Store even better for the youth in Spencer County.

The program titled “Reality Store” serves to enlighten 8^th graders about the responsibilities of the “real world” and allows students to glimpse future scenarios and expenses of life. This program will hopefully encourage the youth of Spencer County to obtain higher education and in turn the community could reap the benefits of having educated individuals giving support in the future. This program encompassed many former graduates of Spencer County who are serving their community through volunteering for functions such as these that promotes youth development. This is a program that allows the youth to develop their decision making skills and glimpse the responsibilities of adult life and positive returns can be seen after the completion of the program.