MILWAUKEE, Wis.–A new workshop has been announced for credit unions and associations that host reality fairs and other similar financial education events for students.
The first-ever Reality Fair Workshop has been convened by Mark Lynch of CU Difference and is scheduled to be held in Milwaukee, Wis., June 12-14.
“From humble beginnings less than 20 years ago, reality fairs are very quickly becoming the most popular way for credit unions to help high school students learn about money management,” said Lynch, noting the programs can take a number of forms.
Lynch, a co-founder of CU Difference, said that the workshop is specifically designed for those credit union staff that play a role in an existing reality fair program.
“I want to provide a venue for them to share their innovations and best practices and to learn from what others are doing,” said Lynch. “It is also going to be a great opportunity for credit unions that are thinking about starting a program and are looking to learn from others who have developed their programs.”
App Development
Lynch noted one of the most important recent innovations has been the development of a reality fair app, allowing students to use their mobile devices to record their transactions throughout the fair rather than use the traditional paper-based records. The RMJ Foundation in California originally developed an app for their Bite of Reality Program and has now added the infrastructure for other types of programs to be able to use the App, as well.
“Those attending the workshop will have the opportunity to see the new app being used,” Mark said. “I am partnering with Educators Credit Union, which has kindly allowed me to have participants be part of an actual fair where the app will be used. I am also partnering with Washington State Employees Credit Union, which will showcase a computer-based reality fair that they have developed.”
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