Education
A Dose of Reality
Communities in Schools Teaches Students About Personal Finance with In-School Field Trip By Amy Meadows
W
hen students walk through the door to take part in Reality U, a financial literacy experience presented by Communities in Schools of Georgia in Marietta/Cobb County (CISMCC), they are no longer teenagers. Suddenly, they’re 26 years old. They have jobs, monthly incomes, credit scores, and possibly student debt. They may even have families that include children. And they have 75 minutes to figure out how to navigate and maintain the new life that literally has just
22
COBB
in focus M A R C H / A P R I L
2020
been handed to them on a sheet of paper. From securing a residence and transportation, to purchasing food and personal hygiene products, they quickly learn what it really means — and how much it costs — to be an adult. “This is an imaginative way to teach budgeting, and it’s as close to real life as you can get,” explains Natalie Rutledge, executive director of CISMCC. “It gives the students an idea of what they need to be thinking about, and it’s a way to prepare them before they have to make
those real-life choices that can harm them for many years financially. We don’t want them to have that peril. We want to help mold our next generation into thoughtful and fiscally fit people.” That’s why, for several years, Reality U has been offered for students in grades 8 through 12 at middle and high schools across Cobb County. The event originally began in 2002 as part of the Pando Initiative and was adopted by CISMCC six years ago. Since then, more than 31,000 students have participated in the in-school
