From a very early age, we are all taught to want and to spend, the two elements of the consumerism equation. Even very young children are enticed by a barrage of advertising whose main purpose is to encourage desire, to make them want something that they may not need. That desire for material things, to spend money and to have money spent on us, is these days as American as the flag or apple pie. And though many of us would like to escape it entirely, that's not realistic. The word consumerism itself is merely another form of the word consume, and we, of course, must consume in order to survive. It is up to us, however, how, when, what, and how much.

Teenagers in particular are susceptible to the traps of consumerism because of their age and situation: they are in the midst of a time of uncertainty in their lives, where their nights are governed by rules, homework, and stolen time for fun and mischief and their days are governed by the pressures of school and the painful intricacies of middle and high school social hierarchies. Unfortunately, many advertisers capitalize on this, offering products that masquerade as coolness, but they are really billing themselves as an all-healing potion: they say, "Buy these jeans, these shoes, this phone, this gaming system, and you can be popular and polished and happy." The pressure to buy and conform is overwhelming, and the temptations are great. All too often, advertisers fail to deliver what they promise. Teens end up kitted out in all the latest accoutrements, but their fears and concerns about how to grow up in this world are far from assuaged.

So how can we cope with consumerism in a world where it won't go away? Well, we certainly can't avoid it, but we can find ways to use it to our advantage and to better reflect our fundamental beliefs. Instead of a sign of hedonism and overabundance, consumerism can serve as a symbol of morality, as a sign of awareness, and as a statement of our faith. There are plentiful resources that can help make this a reality and that can be used as guides for or as supplemental resources for this session to help youthful participants navigate the sometimes treacherous waters of discussions about money and class.