AUBURN – The second annual Financial Fitness Money Management Experience Event took place on April 6 at the Central Maine Community College.

Presented by Maine’s credit unions, students from six high schools in the Lewiston/Auburn area participated in the three-hour event. Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, organizers created a unique and fun experience for more than 100 high school juniors and seniors.

The event was an interactive “game of life,” designed to help bring awareness and understanding about the importance of teaching teenagers about money management as well as highlighting the role that Maine’s credit unions have taken in promoting youth financial education.

Each participant was presented with a scenario packet of their life at age 22, which includes their occupations, income and credit history. From there, students had to map out their financial future from financing their housing to purchasing their food and clothing.

Students were selected to participate by their teachers based on their experience with financial goal setting. Students had to visit each of the event’s 10 booths. Nearly 50 volunteers from credit unions and other organizations served as “coaches” to assist students at each of the booths.

“These students are at an opportune age to start learning real life’ financial responsibility,” said Jon Paradise, governmental and public affairs manager for the Maine Credit Union League and Master of Ceremonies for the day.

Paradise said, “In their junior and senior year students are in the beginning stages of planning for their future, whether they plan to attend college, full time, part time, or at all, and where they will live and how they will commute.”

Representatives from the Norm Nolette Chapter of Credit Unions, the Maine Credit Union League, the Maine Council on Economic Education and Central Maine Community College organized the event.

Students from the following high schools attended: Dirigo High School, Leavitt Area High School, Lewiston High School, Livermore Falls High School and Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School.

One student commented, “I learned that I need to make choices in order to make ends meet.” Another added, “I have a greater understanding for what my parents go through trying to pay bills and still have money for us kids.”

The event marked the beginning of a month-long list of activities coordinated by Maine’s credit unions as part of Gov. John Baldacci’s proclamation of April as Financial Literacy for Youth Month, a proclamation that praises the efforts of Maine’s credit unions on behalf youth financial education.