April 16th 2013 ‐ Now more than ever, it’s critical that students are taught financial literacy concepts in the classroom. Back in May 2011, the Provincial government agreed with that statement, mandating that students in grades 4 to 12 have financial literacy included in their curriculum. It was this news that sparked the folks at PenFinancial Credit Union to develop a workshop that makes learning how to budget and manage credit, fun and interactive for students, while giving teachers the opportunity to call in the financial ‘experts’ to deliver the material.
The Sprowt.ca Financial Literacy workshop was developed with the assistance of students’ who work part‐time at the credit union. Workshop topics range from creating a budget, to why it’s important to protect your credit, to saving for post‐secondary education. The key to the success of the presentations is in the delivery – a group of young PenFinancial Credit Union staff members, including part time Brock and Niagara students, who bring energy and their own ‘life stories’ to the presentation, making the information much more credible and relatable.
“The presentation takes a complex topic and breaks it down into a fun, simple and engaging presentation for students”, explains Matt Price, Financial Services Specialist and Sprowt.ca Financial Literacy workshop presenter. “The information is easy to digest because presenters share their life experiences and realistic advice that students can implement in their lives as soon as they walk out the door,” Matt added.
Kelly Mercuri, Civics/Careers Teacher at Blessed Trinity says, “I truly enjoyed the presentation. The students gave me feedback at the end of class and they found the information useful. The presenters used PowerPoint and interactive games to captivate the class, which worked well.”
The Sprowt.ca Financial Literacy presenters also bring along their Sprowt.ca ‘prize wheel’ giving students who ask questions, the opportunity to spin the wheel to win Sprowt.ca prizes like sweatshirts and usb drives. Since its inception, the program has been delivered over 25 times to over 1,000 students in Niagara. For more information on the program please visit the website at http://sprowt.ca/learn/financial‐literacy‐program.
The Sprowt.ca Financial Literacy workshops are offered by PenFinancial Credit Union. Schools are invited to connect with Josh Juhlke, Financial Literacy Program Coordinator by phone 289‐820‐9744 ex. 247 or by email at josh.juhlke@penfinancial.com.