December SmartStart

The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) recently released its latest report, Promoting Wellbeing in a Digital World, which provides a comprehensive look at how the constant connectivity of digital life interconnects with the wellbeing of teens aged 13-17 and their parents.

Key findings from the report include:

Teens self-reported having more positive than negative online experiences. Most teens said they have experienced instances where digital activity positively affected their mental, emotional, and social wellbeing. Nearly 9 in 10 teens across the U.S. said their digital activity has “always” or “often” resulted in positive wellbeing, including feeling more connected to loved ones.
Both parents and teens believed they are primarily responsible for promoting teen wellbeing. But teens felt more accountable for their own digital wellbeing than their parents recognized. In the U.S., 75% of teens said they are primarily responsible for their digital wellbeing, compared to 58% of parents who agree.
Parents and teens favored tech companies over government intervention for additional support on teens’ digital wellbeing. 72% of U.S. parents would welcome even more involvement from tech companies to support teens’ digital wellbeing, compared to 50% for increased government support. Teens mirrored these views.
The study was supported by Google and conducted by Kantar in October 2024.

LifeSmarts has excellent lessons to educate teens and parents on safe and responsible social media use, including “Ten Things I Wish My Parents Knew about Social Media,” “Be Safe Online,” “Technostress StudySmart Guide,” and many more!

December TeamSmarts Challenge Open

The December TeamSmarts Challenge, featuring the topics of Technology & Workforce Preparation, is open now through December 31 at 11:55 PM EST. Top-scoring JV, Varsity, 4-H, BPA, FBLA, FCCLA, and SkillsUSA teams earn cash awards of $100. The team captain should log in to LifeSmarts.org, click on the Quizzes tab on the left, and then click on the December TeamSmarts 2024 folder. Don’t miss out!

LifeSmarts SkillsUSA Health & Safety Challenge Winner
Congratulations to the November SkillsUSA Health & Safety Challenge winning team:
Garden City Middle School JV SkillsUSA HKB, Garden City Middle School, Garden City, TX! This team received a $100 cash award.

Congratulations to the November Consumer Rights and Responsibilities TeamSmarts Winning Teams
Each team earned a $100 cash award!
Junior Varsity: Oconto JV, Oconto Middle School, Oconto, WI
Varsity: Whatever, Villa Park High School, Villa Park, CA
4-H: Varsity Columbia County 4-H, Appling, Ga, Georgia 4-H
FBLA: Robinson Valariaan, Robinson Secondary School, Fairfax, VA
FCCLA: North Zulch FCCLA, North Zulch High School, North Zulch, TX
SkillsUSA: Garden City High School SkillsUSA, Garden City High School, Garden City – TX

Compete in your Varsity State LifeSmarts Championship
Don’t miss your chance to advance to the 2025 Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship, April 24-27, 2025, in Chicago, IL.! Visit your state page to check the deadlines for your state competition. You can also check our LifeSmarts events calendar. Again, this year, we will be providing community service stipends to help defray travel expenses for many competing teams. Get started on your qualifying quizzes today. Contact your State LifeSmarts Coordinator with questions and get started on your path to the 31st Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship!

Junior Varsity Teams
In many states, Junior Varsity teams can compete until March 1 for their opportunity to advance to the JV State and National LifeSmarts Championships. Visit your state page to check the deadlines for your state’s qualifying quizzes, or check our LifeSmarts events calendar. Contact your State LifeSmarts Coordinator or LifeSmarts with questions. Take advantage of your chance to compete in the Second Junior Varsity Virtual National LifeSmarts Championship!

Promotional Video Contest Entries
Wow! What great entries we had in the 2024 LifeSmarts Promotional Video Contest!
Winners will be notified after January 6, 2025. Thanks to all who entered!

Congratulations to all those who applied for the Matt’s Buzzers Grants
Several schools and groups with LifeSmarts teams received grants this year. For those teams not selected, Matt’s Buzzers is offering a second chance opportunity for used buzzer systems that have been repaired/refurbished and can be offered to teams who are still in need on a ‘pay as you will’ basis. This is a great opportunity for teams to get a buzzer system at little or no cost and get your teams the valuable practice that would help them better prepare for competition. If you submitted an application this year for the Matt’s Buzzers grant, you can Matt’s Buzzers on Facebook to check your application status. Good luck!

FCCLA/LifeSmarts Knowledge Bowl Top 41
Congratulations to the top 41 FCCLA /LifeSmarts Knowledge Bowl teams who will compete for the national championship at the FCCLA National Leadership Conference next summer in Orlando, FL! We had 91 teams complete the Fall Qualifier this year! The top 41 teams are posted on social media (both LifeSmarts and FCCLA) and on the FCCLA page. We will be in touch with all the teams who will take the FCCLA Spring Knowledge Bowl TeamSmarts Quiz during March, including the top 10 alternate teams. If you have any questions, please contact LifeSmarts.

SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl Preparatory Quiz – December 1-31
Are you a member of a SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl team? Take the December LifeSmarts SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl Preparatory Quiz to prepare for the LifeSmarts topic in the SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl.
To compete in the LifeSmarts SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl Preparatory Quiz, Team Coaches (chapter advisers) must first register here. Important: Make sure to select your team type as SkillsUSA QB and Varsity (grades 9-12) or Junior Varsity (Grades 6-8). Students register and join the team. The Coach designates one registered student as the team captain. The SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl Preparatory quiz will only be available to the team captain. To take the quiz, the team captain logs in between December 1-31, clicks the "Quizzes" tab on the left side of the page, and opens the folder labeled "SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl Preparatory Quiz." The captain opens the folder and follows the instructions to launch the quiz. The team works together to complete the quiz. Only the captain is required to register and log in for the competition. However, all student team members can benefit by registering at the above location and joining the team you have established to take practice quizzes and use the daily quiz as well as other free study tools. This also makes the team eligible to participate in other LifeSmarts competitions, events, scholarships, and awards! Questions? Email LifeSmarts.

Spring LifeSmarts FBLA Challenge
The Spring LifeSmarts FBLA Challenge opens on January 27 and closes on February 21, 2025. Twelve additional top-scoring teams (one team per state) from the Spring Challenge will have the opportunity to advance to the finals at the FBLA National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, CA. Click here for additional information.

LifeSmarts / BPA Technology & Workforce Preparation Challenge
Be on the lookout for the LifeSmarts / BPA Technology & Workforce Preparation Challenge coming in January! For information on how to get your teams set up to compete, visit https://lifesmarts.org/bpa/ or contact LifeSmarts.

BOLO for LifeSmarts Wild Card Team Opportunities
LifeSmarts Wild Card opportunities and information on how to apply will be posted in January. Applications will be due February 15, 2025. More info is coming in the new year!

Announcing the 2025 LifeSmarts LifeSparks Awards
The LifeSmarts LifeSparks Awards were established in 2024 in honor of our milestone 30th anniversary. All LifeSmarts teams are invited to participate in this annual recognition program. Teams will be honored for active participation, demonstrating and sharing exceptional knowledge in all LifeSmarts topics, and going above and beyond in the community. All LifeSmarts teams that gain 35 credits throughout the 2024-25 program year will be recognized with this year’s LifeSmarts LifeSparks Awards. The top teams earn cash prizes. Teams do not have to compete in either the Varsity or Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Championships to earn this honor. Visit this link for additional information. We can’t wait to see your team shine!

Holiday Schedule
The LifeSmarts team will be away from the office for the holiday season from December 20th until January 3. While we will do our best to get back to you, our availability will be limited. We look forward to working with you once we return to the office.