Exciting LifeSmarts expansion in 2012! – National Consumers League

By Lisa Hertzberg, LifeSmarts Program Director

LifeSmarts is experiencing exciting expansion this year, thanks to an emphasis on outreach and a motivating new partnership with the national Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) student leadership organization.

Five new state partners have joined our ranks: We are pleased to be actively partnering with the Maine Jump$tart Coalition, Georgia 4-H, the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, Colorado Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), and Idaho FCCLA. We are working together to introduce LifeSmarts’ consumer content to students and educators through Training Camps, Webinars, and other state-based outreach efforts.

These new coordinators join 30 veteran state coordinators who use LifeSmarts to deliver meaningful consumer education to thousands of students across the country every year.

Uniting with FBLA allows LifeSmarts to reach student leaders and Chapter Advisers across the country. We have created room within LifeSmarts for FBLA Chapters to compete – encouraging FBLA teams to use the monthly TeamSmarts challenge, and saving a spot for an at-large FBLA team at the National LifeSmarts Championship next April in Atlanta.

We also built a LifeSmarts Competition just for FBLA Chapters. Two hundred FBLA teams competed in the first-ever FLBA-LifeSmarts Challenge this fall, with a second chance to compete this winter. The top 18 teams will compete head-to-head at the FBLA National Leadership Conference next June in Anaheim.

It’s been an exciting 2012!