The Moose Jaw & District Chamber of Commerce is seeking additional volunteers to help out at its annual Reality Check event, held in the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Gymnasium on Wednesday, Oct. 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The Chamber has partnered with Prairie South School Division (PSSD) and Holy Trinity Catholic School Division (HTCSD) to offer Reality Check. The event is a one-day workshop designed to give Grade 9 students a look at the realities of balancing a budget and managing a multitude of bills.
Students will be given a random family description, job, and annual salary, and will rotate through a series of booths representing various bill payments: mortgage, home and vehicle insurance, utility payments, car loans, entertainment budgets, and more. They will be free to make their own decisions on where to spend their money.
Logan Petlak is a learning consultant at PSSD helping to organize the event. He said that while there are financial literacy courses on the curriculum at PSSD, events like these are valuable in preparing students for adulthood.
“When I think of myself as a high school student, it didn’t always feel like there was very explicit teaching and learning about financial literacy skills,” he explained. “That’s something that is stressful as an adult, and I think a lot of people agree with that. Stress as an adult revolves around finances and the economy and employment.
“So, I think this is a very relevant opportunity and represents important learning.”
Reality Check aims to provide students with real insight into finances by having each booth hosted by a relevant professional from that industry — there will be local insurance professionals, banking professionals, childcare providers, and auto sales reps, to name a few.
The Chamber is looking for additional local businesses to participate. A donation of $100 will give businesses recognition at Reality Check and contribute to an RESP bursary fund. The RESP bursary will be awarded to a lucky few students and will be available upon graduating high school.
Rob Clark, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, said the event is a great way for kids to gain a deeper understanding of what their parents have to deal with every day.
“A lot of the time, they don’t see these things, and they don’t understand why mom or dad or whoever their caretaker is might be stressed,” Clark said. “And then they go off on their own and get taken by surprise. And that can lead to mistakes that can take a long time to dig themselves out of.”
Once they’ve visited each booth and paid all of their bills, students at Reality Check will evaluate how they did, get advice on how they could have done better, and possibly re-think their choices.
Petlak has done a couple of Reality Check events now and said students are often taken aback by how quickly things add up. Making it into a game of sorts is a good way to prepare for when it isn’t a game at all.
He hopes locals will volunteer and said partnerships with community members are particularly meaningful and rewarding for students.
“Any Moose Jaw community business owners or employees that are wanting to give back and who are eager to contribute to the learning of the students in this community are welcome,” he explained. “I think it reflects positively on the businesses and helps students keep in mind the available resources in our community.
“As they grow up and enter the workforce, they’ll be able to look back on this core experience and remember those connections.”
