On July 15, a team of enthusiastic audit and tax staff visited Lincoln Junior High School in Skokie to participate in one of their summer youth programs entitled Welcome to the Real World!
The purpose of Welcome to the Real World! is centered around career exploration activities and financial decision-making. In an effort to learn and gain real world experiences, the students assume the role of 25 year olds who choose a career and outline their living situation. Michael Silver & Company CPA volunteers took on the role of landlords, bankers, utility workers, and car dealers. Each student visited the different “career” stations to meet and discuss their careers and personal financial requirements.
As volunteers, we played different roles — as banker, insurance agent, car dealer, realtor, entertainment specialist, retail/shopping (clothing/grocery) agent, and utility management — with the goal of assisting the youths to better understand financial decision-making in today’s economy. We all had a lot of fun volunteering, and the youths really enjoyed our company.
Kamie Corfias, Welcome to the Real World! Event Coordinator
Welcome to the Real World! is part of Lincoln Junior High’s Y.O.U. (Youth Organizations Umbrella) program, which provides services and leadership to meet the emerging needs of young people and their families. Summer learning programs focus on enrichment activities that help youths succeed — academically, socially, and emotionally. Studies show that participation in summer enrichment programs like Y.O.U. can add up to as much as 5 months of learning difference for students when they return to school in the Fall. These summer programs also help build important social and life skills. For more information, visit http://www.youevanston.org/.
Thank you for volunteering at our recent Welcome to the Real World! simulation. We appreciate your taking the time to share your skills and talents with the participants. I’m sure you saw how this was a fun but educational experience for the youths. We hope this experience will give them a much more realistic view of living in today’s economic world. Again, we appreciate your support of this Y.O.U. Spartans program.
Brian Williams, Program Director of the Y.O.U. Spartans Staff