LifeSmarts to kick off 15th competition year – National Consumers League

September 4, 2008

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League announced the start of the 2008-2009 LifeSmarts season, with a new competition year beginning Sept. 15 at the program’s online home, www.lifesmarts.org, along with a variety of new resources for state coordinators, mentors, and youth. LifeSmarts is an educational competition that tests middle school and high school students nationwide on real-life consumer issues through online quizzes and live contests. While the competition formally begins Sept. 15, students and coaches may register online and begin taking practice quizzes and downloading resources today.

“We’re thrilled to be launching the 15^th year of LifeSmarts,” said Program Director Lisa Hertzberg. “This program delivers real-world knowledge to students and then allows them to shine in competitions. In its first 15 years, LifeSmarts has grown in numbers of student and adult participants, state partnerships, corporate sponsorships, and, most importantly, quality of the program’s content,” said Hertzberg. “LifeSmarts competition questions have become more and more challenging, reflecting the increasingly complex marketplace that today’s consumers face. We’re proud to be preparing our teens and tweens to become the next generation of smart consumers and workers.”

Each year, thousands of students answer millions of questions on consumer-oriented issues ranging from personal finance and health and safety to the environment, technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities. Starting online each fall, the competition progresses to live state play-offs, and then builds to a high-spirited National Championship, which will be held in 2009 in St. Louis, MO. At last year’s national competition held in Minneapolis, MN, students on the state champion team from Arizona were crowned the 2008 national champs.

NCL partners with coordinators in 30 states, including Better Business Bureaus, credit unions leagues, state attorneys general and consumer protection agencies, FCCLA chapters, Jump$tart Coalitions and others, to staff and promote the program.

“The National Consumers League’s mission is to inspire confidence and safety in the marketplace,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “The LifeSmarts program, our consumer education initiative for youth, gives students the tools to make smart decisions and feel confident about their place in today’s fast-paced marketplace.”

New this fall at www.lifesmarts.org are dozens of up-to-the-minute teaching resources for coaches, including innovative personal finance lessons made possible by an unrestricted educational grant from Visa. Other major LifeSmarts contributors include the Verizon Foundation, American Century Investments, Best Buy, American Express and Toys“R”Us. To see a full list of current LifeSmarts contributors, visit www.lifesmarts.org. To test your LifeSmarts abilities, take a sample quiz at https://start.lifesmarts.org/. From there, click on “Daily Quiz” to get started.

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About the National Consumers League

Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.