LifeSmarts Information and NCL Savvy Consumer Blog

Missouri FCCLA coordinates, with financial sponsorship from American Century Investments, the Missouri LifeSmarts competition. LifeSmarts - the Ultimate Consumer Challenge - is a program of the National Consumer's League. LifeSmarts encourages high school students to learn about the consumer issues they face today and the new challenges that are right around the corner!

Their blog, which can help your LifeSmarts teams keep up-to-date with consumer information, can be found at http://savvyconsumer.wordpress.com. Use it to for current information to be integrated into courses such as personal finance, family and consumer resource management, career and family leadership, health, and nutrition and wellness.

If you are interested in forming a LifeSmarts team in your school, FCCLA chapter, or other student organization, please visit the Missouri LifeSmarts information page. Contact information for the Missouri coordinator can be found there as well.

Students compete online in the areas of Consumer Rights and Responsibilities, Health and Safety, Personal Finance, Environment, and Technology. In Missouri, online competition ends on January 23, 2009. The nine top-scoring Junior Varsity and twelve top-scoring Varsity teams will be invited to compete in an in-person competition. An in-person team consists of an adult coach and four students with the option of having one alternate. Coaches and/or schools are limited to two teams at a state event. State competitions will be held in Jefferson City for Junior Varsity teams on February 24, 2009, and for Varsity teams on February 25, 2009.

The Missouri Junior Varsity LifeSmarts Missouri is also excited to host the National LifeSmarts Championship, April 25-28, 2009 in St. Louis, MO. We look forward to seeing savvy and smart teenagers at all of these competitions!

*If you are reading this and are not in Missouri, you can find out about the LifeSmarts program and opportunities for your students by visiting www.lifesmarts.org. LifeSmarts is open to US students in grades 6-8 (junior varsity) and grades 9-12 (varsity), through internet-based competition. Teams can be formed in public and private schools, homeschool groups, 4-H clubs, or anywhere interested students can find an adult coach. It is easily integrated into many family and consumer sciences courses, personal finance, or business education courses.