Reality Store helps young adults get a handle on the cost of life outside school

“Ugh…life’s rough.” That’s just one comment from the more than 40 students from Brentsville District High School (BDHS) who got a taste of adult living – and the economic realities associated with being out on their own – at The Reality Store.

The Reality Store, a simulation game that helps prepare young adults for the real-life decisions they will need to address after graduation, invited business students from BDHS to practice skills in financial planning, goal-setting, decision-making, and career planning. Each student was given an identity including their occupation, a yearly salary, and number of children, and was then encouraged to visit various booths to experience what life in Prince William County might be like at age 25. They paid their taxes, opened checking accounts, paid rent and utility bills, bought groceries, paid for child care, and then if they had money left over, explored entertainment possibilities.

Several area businesses were also on hand to educate students about the cost of living in the county. Representatives from Synergy One Federal Credit Union, Heltzel Mortgage, the City of Manassas Utility Company, Dudley Martin Chevrolet, and the Prince William Park Authority were among the more than twenty businesses and government offices that shared information about their services.

The students who got involved quickly realized the value of obtaining a good education, which allowed them to qualify for higher paying jobs and better opportunities all-around. One student commented that “Education leads to your occupation; salary controls the rest of your life.” Others simply talked about the expense of real life. One student wisely noted that “necessity comes before want,” while another said the event helped them all learn that “money does not grow on trees.”

Synergy One Federal Credit Union, in cooperation with the PWCS Business Partnership Office, George Mason University, the Virginia Cooperative Extension, and the Prince William County-Greater Manassas Chamber of Commerce, put together the Reality Store event to teach the students how to manage their money, obtain basic necessities, and live within their means without the option of going home to mom and dad. The inaugural event proved very successful, attracting 41 students from the high school and a group of community leaders including Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sean Connaughton and Brenstville District Supervisor Wally Covington.

The committee of partners is already planning a 2007 Reality Store event that they hope to open up to more Prince William County Students. “Our goal is to reach more students with this information so we plan to double the attendance next year,” says Claudia Stepp, senior vice president of lending at Synergy One. “This is only the beginning!”

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