Credit Abuse Resistance Education Program educates young people on the responsible use of credit

"Once upon a time, credit card companies did not typically extend credit to 18 and 19 year-olds. Times have changed. For perhaps a decade or so now, credit card companies and others have been aggressively pursuing the 'youth' market.

With this drastic increase in consumer debt taken on by young people, the expected problems have emerged. In the last ten years, bankruptcy filings by those under age 25 have increased by 96%. Further, colleges have seen an increase in the number of students dropping out because of consumer debt issues."

Various efforts are being made nationally to improve financial literacy among high school and college students so that they can avoid the dangers of consumer credit. One of the best of these is the Credit Abuse Resistance Education Program (known as "C.A.R.E."), which was started just down the Thruway in Rochester in November, 2002 by Hon John C. Ninfo, II, Chief Judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of New York.

On Tuesday, April 26, 2005, the first C.A.R.E. presentation to high school students in the Buffalo area was made to an assembly of Canisius High School seniors. Hon. Judge Ninfo, along with the Hon. Carl L. Bucki (CHS Class of 1971), ran the presentation, showing, in an informative and entertaining way, the pitfalls of consumer credit.

Judges Bucki and Ninfo addressed the senior class in the auditorium. Their presentation was centered on a national program that teaches students how to use credit wisely and warns them about the perils of abusing consumer credit. This represents their first appearance in a planned series of 2005-2006 school visits throughout Erie County. The Erie County Bar Association's Commercial and Bankruptcy Law Committee took the initiative to bring the C.A.R.E. program to area schools.

"Through the C.A.R.E. program, we hope to convince teens to live within their means and avoid personal debt. We explain in no uncertain terms the severe consequences that can result from overspending and the abuse of easy-to-obtain credit cards," says Judge Ninfo. The ultimate goal of their their effort is to counter the increasing trend of younger adults (aged 18-26) filing for bankruptcy.

C.A.R.E. provides local high school and college educators easy access to volunteer professionals who go into schools and colleges with a financial literacy program that teaches teens and young adults about using consumer credit wisely and the perils of abusing consumer credit. C.A.R.E. teaches students about these things through projections, videos and handouts as well as C.A.R.E.'s informative website www.careprogram.us.