Press
Half of Roseville High School seniors to participate in “bite of reality”
ROSEVILLE, CA (December 5, 2013) — Roseville High School students had a chance to take a “Bite of Reality” yesterday when half of the senior class – more than 200 students — took part in an interactive financial simulation aimed at teaching teens about how to manage money in real-world scenarios. The remaining half of the senior class will complete the program in the spring, with all seniors having participated by graduation on May 30, 2014.
During the event, each student received a monthly income based on a randomly assigned career. Additionally, they had certain financial obligations such as credit card and student loan debt. After determining the amount of money they had available to spend each month, the participants then visited a series of stations manned by volunteers who “sold” housing, transportation, child care, groceries, and other recurring expenses. There was also a credit union station, where volunteers were on hand to help students sort out finances if they ran into difficulty budgeting, and a “Fickle Finger of Fate” who presented students with unexpected expenses and windfalls. More than 30 volunteers from six local credit unions volunteered at the event, organized by Patelco’s Sacramento-area Business Development Representative, Beverly Barkhurst, and sponsored by the Richard Myles Johnson (RMJ) Foundation.
“We enjoy providing this program to teens because teaching about finances in this fun and non-conventional way definitely makes more of an impact with them,” said Barkhurst. Many students echoed these sentiments, stating that they were having fun, yet also found the simulation stressful. “When it’s your parents’ money, you don’t think about what you spend!” said one participant. Another stated he had to “weigh what really matters” when working on his simulated monthly budget.
This is the second time Patelco and the RMJ Foundation have run the simulation at Roseville High School. The first was in May 2013, with 40 students from the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program.
About the Richard Myles Johnson Foundation
Founded in 1958, the Foundation is dedicated to supporting credit union efforts in spreading the financial literacy message to young people. In addition to the Bite of Reality program, the Foundation also provides scholarships for credit union volunteers and staff to attend seminars and conferences to further their educational and professional development. It is funded through donations from credit unions, Credit Union league chapters, corporations providing credit union services, and individuals. For more information, visit www.rmjfoundation.org.
About Patelco Credit Union
Founded in 1936, Patelco Credit Union ranks among the largest credit unions in the nation and is the sixth largest in California with more than $4 billion in assets and 275,000 members. Throughout its 77-year history, Patelco has helped people and their communities prosper through volunteer initiatives and personalized service that focuses on transparency, simplicity in banking, and garnering trust. Patelco is a federally insured, not-for-profit, full-service credit union that offers the same types of products and services as large banks. For more information, visit patelco.org.