STILLWATER, Minn.–Royal Credit Union and Stillwater Area High School (SAHS) partnered for the first time to present students with a signature financial education experience Test Drive…Next Stop Reality.
Test Drive is a simulation of real life when it comes to money and finances.
The event was held at Stillwater Area High School and was the largest Test Drive event Royal has ever hosted, with the entire SAHS junior class participating and nearly 200 volunteers staffing the event.
In addition to Royal team members, many members of the Stillwater community volunteered to help throughout the day.
Test Drive is a hands-on experience in which students select a career and research the education needed and the realistic salary that would come from that career. The students are then randomly assigned a family status and required to live within their monthly salary while paying for basics such as housing, utilities, transportation, clothing, and food.
Additional expenditures such as entertainment, pets, and unexpected expenses are also factored into the simulated activity. The booths are staffed by volunteers ready to help the students make decisions and offer guidance as students are faced with difficult decisions, RCU said.
“We are proud to partner with Stillwater Area High School to offer students this engaging, experiential learning opportunity,” said Deb Paulsen, community financial education Coordinator at Royal. “Royal Credit Union developed Test Drive…Next Stop Reality® so that students learn to balance their wants and needs, understand what it takes to make it on their own and better prepare for their future.”