The Fleming County 4-H Program in collaboration with the Family Resource Center and Youth Service Center Directors annually host the “Welcome to Reality” Reality Store for the entire 5th and 7th grades in the community.  Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the 2019-2020 Fifth Grade students did not have the opportunity to participate in the designated activity based on the time of year the event is hosted.  In an effort to offer what is traditionally a large community involved event on a smaller, more virtual scale, the Virtual Reality platform was created. 

In this Virtual Reality Store realm, the students complete quizzes to secure their career with their monthly and annual salary information and receive their family dynamic information. In 2018-2019, these 5th and 7th grade students felt reality when they participated in the elaborate reality store involving more than 15 real life stations. Throughout the program, youth draw a profession, research it and its educational background, then apply their monthly salary to a monthly budget. Following receiving this information, students then proceed to work through a spreadsheet by visiting virtual “booths” that would normally be manned by many community volunteers and work their way through spending their monthly salary. 

Traditionally it takes the support of the entire community of Flemingsburg to successfully complete this endeavor having nearly 30 community volunteers and around 15 local businesses represented in their specialties this program was able to come together nicely. However, for 2021 to work within the Covid-19 protocols and guidelines as set forth by both the University of Kentucky and Fleming County Schools the entire event was moderated in individual classrooms by the 4-H agent and Family Resource Center directors. Each individual student utilized their school issued chrome book to work at their own pace and make their own decisions. The platform is also designed to be accessed and utilized by student’s participating in virtual learning through NTI or our local Fleming County Performance Academy.  It has been discussed to utilize this program in the future if students are unable to attend the in-person event due to illness or other reasons. 

Built in to the virtual platform was a survey for students to complete as the wrapped up their reality store. Students commented that “they didn’t realize how much money it took to survive”, and “child care is expensive”. Nearly 100 youth participated in the 2021 virtual reality store and approximately 85% of the students expressed that they “now understood the importance of their parent’s monthly budget”. The teachers and Family Resource Center directors felt this was a great way to continue to pursue this type of life skill education and are interested in continuing to incorporate this program in to small group work in the future as a prep for the Reality Store community event.