The CENTER

	MAR’s CENTER for Education & Private Enterprise (the CENTER) is a not-for-profit foundation established in 1981 to provide consumer and business education to the youth of Missouri. The CENTER is an important part of the Missouri Association of REALTORSâ and its thirty-seven local Boards, and many members volunteer to support its programs. The CENTER is involved with two very important high school out reach programs: MISSOURI BUSINESS WEEK and the education program "It's Your Move."
	"It’s Your Move" (IYM) is a real estate consumer education unit developed specifically for high school juniors and seniors and donated to schools by MAR local Boards and Members. The course is designed to teach future real estate consumers about renting, buying and selling homes. Also included is basic but valuable information about establishing good consumer credit. The curriculum material consists of a 32-page student manual, a teacher’s notebook, and a 10-minute video about buying a home. The course is taught as a unit in already existing high school courses such as Housing, Consumer Education, Independent Living, and other Family and Consumer Science classes. IYM takes 1 to 4 weeks to teach depending upon use of the material provided. A Speakers Bureau of trained real estate professionals has been established to provide expert information to students studying IYM. Names of these REALTORâ speakers can be found in the teacher’s notebook. For more information about donating books to a high school, call 800-403-0101.

	The Homebuyers Guide...A Practical Guide to Home buying, a popular booklet that MAR members have purchased from the CENTER for prospective customers, is no longer available in hard copy. However, now MAR members only can access it online and print out from the CENTER's website at no cost.

	MISSOURI BUSINESS WEEK (MBW) is a fast-paced summer institute that brings Missouri high school students together with top business people to "live and learn" the free enterprise system. In a casual but stimulating atmosphere, students and business people become partners in learning as they explore such topics as: how our economic system works, business decision-making, leadership skills, marketing and ethics in the workplace. MBW '08 will be held June 29 - July 3 on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. Student applications will be available through Missouri High Schools, at the MBW Web site, or by calling the CENTER at (800) 403-0101. Click on MISSOURI BUSINESS WEEK to see the web pages designed by the students of the previous year.

	The Multi Cultural Training Video is an 80-minute video containing practical advice on Addressing Clients, Proper Attire, Avoiding Stereotyping, Avoiding Steering, Qualifying the Buyer, Negotiating the Contract and Much More. The video is divided into sections approximately 15 minutes long and can be shown in its entirety or in sections. Although it contains a great deal of content, the video is probably best used as a supplement to discussions during GRI, CIPS, and At Home with Diversity courses or sales meetings. A section can be shown in the beginning of an educational setting to initiate discussion and at the end of a discussion to reinforce concepts.