The New York Credit Union Foundation is proud to offer credit union members of the Foundation complimentary access to “Bite of Reality,” a ‘Real World Simulation’ that guides students through a day in the life of an adult. Often referred to as a ‘reality fair', this simulated event allows students to learn how to make personal financial decisions in every area of life. During the reality fair, each student is given a persona for the day. The persona includes an occupation, income, credit score, family description, possible debt, and student loan. During the session, the student moves from booth to booth making decisions on expenses such as housing, transportation, groceries and dining, and childcare with the goal of managing their budget and life circumstances responsibly.
Credit union members of the Foundation who wish to utilize this program will be provided with a “Bite of Reality Kit” which will include everything you will need to host an event. This kit is housed at an assigned credit union in your area as well as at the New York Credit Union Association’s headquarters. The New York Credit Union Foundation will assist in arranging the delivery of the kit to you. The kit includes the following items:
Facilitator Guide
This guide tells you everything you need to do to prepare for a successful event.
Banners and Props
Each station/booth has a pull-up banner with the station name provided by the Foundation. It is recommended (but not required) that the credit union provide additional props such as pictures of items or small trinkets which represent items sold at those stations.
Merchant Materials
Volunteer indicators, item codes with pricing, and instructions for how each station is operated, along with tips for the volunteer merchants.
Participant Materials
The only materials a student needs is a smart phone or tablet with the Bite of Reality2 app downloaded. A Wi-Fi connection is not needed for the student to participate in the program once the app is downloaded to the device. The New York Credit Union Foundation has mock checks available upon request if you would like to incorporate check writing along with the app. We recommend using checks at the Housing and Transportation stations. If tablets or phones are not permitted to be used by a school district, grants are available through the Foundation to purchase basic tablets to be utilized by the students during the event.
Marketing Material
Customizable materials are available to help you promote your event. Remember that the New York Credit Union Foundation is your partner in this process. We will help you through the process and make sure that you are prepared to deliver a quality program that is both enjoyable and educational.
If your credit union is interested in working with the Foundation to host a Bite of Reality workshop, please email info@nycuf.org or call our program coordinator Taetum Crooker at 1 (800) 342-9835 ext. 8292.
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