ACCC leads a coalition of Greater Boston financial planning and community organizations to educate high school juniors and seniors about budgeting and saving.
Boston, MA – April 9, 2013
On April 11th, American Consumer Credit Counseling will collaborate with the Treasurer’s Office and the Boston Public Schools Superintendent’s office, along with a coalition of Greater Boston financial planning and community organizations and other partners, to host the second annual Boston Reality Fair: Financial Tools for Life, a program for high school juniors and seniors. The Boston Reality Fair will offer interactive educational workshops and a Money Matters play sponsored by Cambridge Savings Bank to prepare students for sustainable financial stability throughout their lives.
“ACCC is proud to join forces with Treasurer Steve Grossman and Superintendent Dr. Carol Johnson to offer practical lessons to students to help them lay the foundation for a healthy financial future in an engaging, realistic, and fun manner,” said Matthew Paradise, Co-Chairman of the Boston Reality Fair Committee and Community Outreach Coordinator and Team Lead at American Consumer Credit Counseling in Newton. “By offering educational resources to juniors and seniors in high school, students can better prepare for the financial challenges of living independently that arise soon after graduation.”
At the fair, a variety of financial planning organizations and community partners will present students with information on available budgeting options in areas such as clothing, furniture, health and nutrition, housing, transportation, education and part-time jobs, and luxury items and entertainment.
This year, Central Square Theater will perform the Money Matters play sponsored by Cambridge Savings Bank. This interactive play will engage the audience and communicate essential financial educational lessons to students. “The Reality Fair provides a unique opportunity for students from unbanked and underserved populations to experience and understand, at a deeper level, some of the financial challenges they have or will face,” added Paradise. “The goal is to show students, on the spot, how they can successfully manage their finances through a day of innovative workshops and performances.”
Students will have the opportunity to make spending and budgeting choices based on hypothetical career and lifestyle decisions. They will then learn how to balance their budgets in individual meetings with financial counselors.
