Bite of Reality 3.29

Offering an engaging and educational experience, Bite of Reality is a hands-on simulation lasting two and a half hours that provides insight into real-world financial responsibilities for teenagers. Participants are assigned a fictional job, income, family, debts, and expenses, navigating through various stations to budget for essentials such as housing, transportation, groceries, and childcare. The simulation also includes a "credit union" to assist with financial needs.

This interactive activity aims to cultivate financial literacy among teenagers by showcasing the challenges of managing finances within a budget. It encourages participants to differentiate between wants and needs while dealing with scenarios like negotiating with a car salesman or a realtor. Unexpected expenses or windfalls, akin to real-life situations, add an element of unpredictability through the "Fickle Finger of Fate."

The benefits of Bite of Reality include instilling fundamental money management skills in a secure and enjoyable environment, replicating everyday financial dilemmas, promoting the advantages of credit unions to future generations, fostering relationships with educational institutions and parents in local communities, and being entirely free for students.

Chapters or credit unions interested in participating can reach out to the RMJ Foundation for program support, including materials for participants and merchants, training resources, pre-work materials, certificates of completion, evaluation forms, customizable marketing materials, and on-site assistance during the event.

To organize a Bite of Reality event, chapters or credit unions will need 20 adult volunteers to facilitate the session, allocate 2 hours for on-site preparation on the event day, reserve 2.5 hours for the simulation and debriefing session, recruit 50 or more teens from grades 8 to 12, provide a facilitator, and distribute pre-work materials for participants focusing on balancing a check or debit card register.

Exclusively available to credit unions through the RMJ Foundation, Bite of Reality has garnered praise from teenagers, schools, and credit unions in California and Nevada for its impactful and educational approach to financial literacy.