Georgia 2019 LifeSmarts Championship
Georgia LifeSmarts Championship quizzes Georgia 4-H youth on consumer literacy skills
Last week, eight Georgia 4-H Junior Varsity and Varsity teams competed at the 2019 Georgia LifeSmarts Championship on Feb. 18, 2019, at the Georgia Agricenter Miller Murphy Howard Building in Perry, GA.
LifeSmarts, a National Consumers League program, is celebrating 25 years of empowering middle and high school students across the United States to develop consumer literacy skills needed to succeed in today’s marketplace.
“LifeSmarts teaches students critical thinking skills and expands their knowledge on real-world issues to prepare them for life after high school,” said Brittani Lee, Georgia 4-H County Extension Agent and Georgia LifeSmarts Co-coordinator. “The life skills that LifeSmarts students gain through the program will aid them in being well-rounded, knowledgeable and prepared adults in tomorrow’s world. Not only are they preparing for the future, but they are having fun too.”
The competition quizzes the participants on five categories: Personal Finance, Consumer Rights and Responsibilities, Technology, Health and Safety, and the Environment. The student teams, under the guidance of an adult coach, participated in an online qualifying competition series. The highest-scoring four Junior Varsity and Varsity teams were invited to compete in the state championship.
“This year, we had sixteen varsity teams and eight junior varsity teams competing online for a chance at the championship,” said Courtney Still Brown, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension 4-H Specialist of Healthy Living Programs and Georgia LifeSmarts Co-coordinator. “It is really encouraging to see these students at the championship understanding and explaining concepts such as budgeting, consumer rights, online safety and much more. They certainly have a head start on how to navigate the complex consumer issues that we face today.”
The Oconee County team won the Junior Varsity championship. The Floyd County team placed second, followed by Johnson and Columbia County teams.
The Bartow County team won the Varsity championship. The Oconee County team placed second, followed by Gwinnett and Chattooga County teams.
The Bartow County Varsity Team will represent Georgia in the National LifeSmarts Championship, in hopes of being the national champions in April in Orlando, FL. Additional Georgia teams may win the chance to compete at the National Championship as well through a wildcard bid process.
For more information on Georgia 4-H and the Georgia LifeSmarts Program, visit https://georgia4h.org.
Author: Cristina deRevere, stinafig@uga.edu
Source: Courtney Still Brown, courtms@uga.edu; Brittani Lee, bkelley@uga.edu
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (working cooperatively with Fort Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the counties of Georgia) offers its educational programs, assistance, and materials to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status and is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action organization.