Need to Know

Consumer Rights & Responsibilities

  •  Teenagers are a large part of the economy
  • Teenagers should think of themselves as consumers
  • Employers can look at credit scores
  • Understand the process of comparison-shopping
  • Learn about your landlord-tenant rights & responsibilities
  • Read a contract before entering into an agreement
  • Know how to find and/or ask for help
  • Learn to avoid being “ripped off”
  • Understand your voter rights & responsibilities
  • Understand how local and state governments work
  • Explain labor & wage laws
  • Choose the appropriate agency when seeking consumer information
  • Be a “savvy” online shopper
  • Know how to resolve consumer complaints
  • Understand privacy laws
  • Define PII (Personally Identifiable Information) and relate to technology and social media

Health & Safety

  •  Acquiring and using health insurance
  • Establish healthful dietary practices
  • Understand how media enhances images to create an alternate reality
  • Identify health dangers (ex. tanning)
  • Summarize the My Plate program
  • Identify concerns and safety issue with OTC medications
  • First Aid
  • Safe Driving
  • Sexual health and contraception
  • Household chemicals as personal health and environmental concerns
  • Child safety issues
  • Water safety
  • Safety equipment for biking and sports
  • Symptoms of food borne illnesses
  • Nutrition basics
  • Personal hygiene
  • Suicide prevention, depressions and bullying response
  • How to research personal health issues on the Internet
  • Reading the food nutrition label
  • Preparing for a visit with a health care professional
  • Binge drinking/smoking dangers

Environment

  •  Social responsibility for the collective environment
  • Using and promoting the use of renewable resources
  • Recycling basics-where, what and when
  • Preventing the “throw-away” culture
  • Climate change
  • Conservation of water
  • Understanding/reducing your personal carbon footprint
  • How to dispose of hazardous materials properly
  • Green shopping
  • Advantages of hybrid vehicles
  • Impact of global economics on the environment

Technology

  •  Privacy and online social media
  • Cell phone costs
  • Netiquette
  • Cyber bullying
  • Evaluate bundled electronic services
  • Phishing and friends
  • Identify theft through technology
  • Communicating through technology
  • Buyer’s rights online
  • Creating, changing and storing passwords

Personal Finance

  •  Evaluating the need for and buying insurance
  • Payday lending costs
  • Federal student loan issues
  • Filing income tax return
  • Budgeting
  • Cost of wants
  • Paying for college
  • Renting the first apartment
  • Buying and insuring a car
  • Online (paperless) banking