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Girls Looking into the Future

It has been a very busy month for EmpowHer Girls Academy students. Our program is focused on allowing our girls to see what is possible. To open their eyes there is nothing like hands on experience. This month, more than sixty 8th grade girls  learned about financial literacy and ninety 7th grade girls participated in STEM Day at UCLA with Association of Women in Science and Engineering (AWISE). STEM Experience

We know that in planning for the future, girls need to understand how to manage money. Our partnership with Kinecta Federal Credit Union creates a day of financial literacy called Bite of Reality.

Fun, Safe, and Interactive
Bite of Reality is a two-and-a-half-hour, hands-on simulation that appeals to teens  while giving them a taste of real-world financial realities. Teens are given a fictional occupation, salary, spouse and family, student loan debt, credit card debt, and medical insurance payments. The teens and young adults then walk around to various table-top stations to “purchase” housing, transportation, food, clothing, household necessities, day care, and other needs. Fortunately, the game also includes a “credit union” to help with their financial needs.

This interactive activity teach teens how to make financial decisions and give them a better understanding of the challenges of living on a budget. Teens deal with a pushy “car salesperson” and a commission-based “realtor,” and weigh their wants versus their needs. There’s even a “Fickle Finger of Fate” that will give some of the students unexpected “expenses” or “windfalls”—just like in real life.