Hello again everyone!
Thank you for your responses and questions! I'm sorry for the lack of response..it's taken me a little bit to become accustomed to this software. No worries! I have a system now!
I think I will answer questions first, and then have my new entry.

How many members belong to your club and have they 'purchased' any stocks yet?
My club of roughly 33 has not 'purchased' any stocks yet, but that is the task of our next meeting. They have been busy with a class stock project, so I thought it would be best if I let them finish that, teach a little about what they did well and what they did not so well, and then begin 'investing'. Their project requires them to track 10 stocks for several weeks, almost exactly what my club will do, so I am using this as a 'practice' of sorts. So far, the club has been a huge success! The highest return I know of has been 11% (in 3 weeks!!!) and several others are hovering around 5%. I estimate that only about a quarter of the students are currently losing 'money' (I don’t know exact numbers because I only receive a few portfolios each time)

So what sparks an interest in investing for young folks?
Well, to put it shortly, I am a "young folk," and as most people of any age do, I like money. Also, I enjoy math and having a challenge. I view investing as a game almost, where if you pick the right players, you'll win big. Perhaps my biggest motivation was when I calculated what college was going to cost me (at a public university, not even a really expensive one!), nearly died, and decided I needed to do something much more effective than a savings account. At the same time, I realized that 70% of my classmates were in the same situation, so I decided to combine my raw interest with a class requirement and volia! The RHS Investment Club.

The reason I didn't post last week was because I was in Myrtle Beach, SC, with my school's music department. It was an excellent trip, but it did leave me thinking about money a bit. The average high school student goes on some sort of school trip, or else has sport expenses, instrument expenses, educational expenses, etc. Where does the money for all these luxuries come from? Yes, there is fundraising in most instances, but the majority of funding comes from parents.
This fact concerns me. Of course, I do not expect the average teen to be able to pay $600 for a trip at the drop of a hat, or $300 for a soccer season, or whatever the expense happens to be. I certainly can't. My concern is that teens are not given enough financial responsibility. It makes sense that if given more responsibility, teens would become more educated, as the knowledge would become a necessity.
My favorite example is my close friend, Nicki. Her parents have handled her financial upbringing beautifully, and I think it is an example worth copying.
For allowance, Nicki receives $30 a week. Sounds outlandish, doesn't it? Well, it absolutely isn't when you realize that her parents pay for very little. If Nicki wants to see a movie, her parents do not pay for the ticket. If she wants to attend a school trip, her parents do not foot the bill. If she wants a new shirt, she forks up the cash. They obviously pay for family vacations, meals, and basic things of that nature, but Nicki's finances are under her control. Not only does this force her to be organized (she has known how to use Microsoft Access since the age of 10), she also is extremely responsible, knowledgeable, and prepared.
This situation will not work for all young people because not everyone has Nicki's self-discipline and drive. But the idea of giving teens more financial responsibility is possibly the only way to truly prepare them for the future. After all, how can someone win a game to which they do not know the rules?

Hi everyone! My name is Courtney Bale and I am the new youth blogger for better investing! I am so excited to fill this position and I hope that you all will help me by leaving many comments and suggestions. One of my favorite ways (or rather, the only way I have used so far) to educate my peers (and myself) about investing is through investment clubs. I recently founded the Reservoir High School Investment Club and I am currently presenting to a software applications class weekly in order to help them select stocks for a class project, and ultimately the online stock market game we will participate in. Right now I am looking for sponsors for my club, so that the ‘profits’ that the top students make on their fictional investments can be matched and donated to local charities. What are other ways you have used to educate others about their money, especially youth?

Here is a tip for all of the parents out there who want to get their kids interested in investing:

Have your child make a list of all of the companies (restaurants, stores, etc, etc...)and products that they use. Then sit down with the child and use this information as a conversation starter.

Be creative about it, too. For instance, if your daughter put Bath & Body Works on the list, then tell her that they are really part of a bigger company called Limited Brands, who owns other popular stores such as Victoria's secret. You can use this as an opportunity to show your child how the stores & brands are really part of the big picture. Then, you can get into the good stuff by explaining that they can actually OWN a piece of that company!

One of the directors in my chapter told me that he did this with his young daughter, who owns Wendy's. When she was out with her friend's family, she told her friend's parents that she wanted to eat at Wendy's because "I own it!" Obviously, he had to do some clarifying to the parents :)

Remember, it's never too early, and as always, be sure to post your comments and questions on this blog!