NWCUF Offers Digital Resources and Support to Bring Financial Education to Young People Across the Northwest
Posted by Ben Shuey on August 19, 2020
The economic impact of COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of financial education and financial management skills in our communities. To help address that need, the Northwest Credit Union Foundation is offering tools for credit unions to support engagement with young people about financial literacy, money management, and business planning to prepare them in building a secure financial future.
As many school districts have announced plans to start the 2020-2021 school year partially or fully remote, NWCUF has recognized the need to adapt existing financial education programs – Bite of Reality financial reality fairs and Biz Kid$ financial literacy program – to ensure accessibility in the new learning environment.
Bite of Reality & BizKid$ Go Virtual
The financial reality fair app, Bite of Reality, is a budget simulation in which participants are taken through the budgeting process as they make decisions about a series of monthly expenses. Bite of Reality provides an opportunity for young people to experience the impacts of spending and saving and engages them in a conversation around healthy financial decision-making.
Already designed to utilize the technology young people are familiar with today, the Bite of Reality app transitions smoothly to a remote learning experience. The remote version of Bite of Reality is available to credit unions free of charge through the remainder of 2020, thanks to the generosity of the Richard Myles Johnson Foundation.
Biz Kid$ is a national financial literacy initiative that teaches youth about money and business. For the 2020-2021 school year, NWCUF has adapted the Biz Kid$ program, shifting the curriculum to be applicable in a variety of settings and offering content tracks for both middle school and high school.
The Biz Kid$ program includes lesson plans, Biz Kid$ episodes, supplemental resources, and an optional business plan competition. All Biz Kid$ materials have been modified for online learning, allowing students to engage with video content on their own time and providing teachers with the lesson plans and resources that work in any learning environment.
Strengthening Financial Literacy Through Partnership
This year, the need for asset-building resources has never been more pressing, and NWCUF is proud to further advance that priority regionwide, by supporting organizations that are aligned with the Foundation’s asset building initiatives – developing financial literacy and capability to achieve prosperity.
NWCUF has partnered with Junior Achievement and Financial Beginnings to provide ongoing support of their financial education and work readiness programs across Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. In July, NWCUF awarded a grant to Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington for the Project Tomorrows initiative. Project Tomorrows is a program that focuses on work readiness, entrepreneurship skills, and financial education for thousands of young people in Oregon and Washington.
The longtime support of Northwest credit unions through contributions and program partnerships drives the impact of NWCUF’s financial education initiatives and is truly making a difference in the lives of young people across the region.
Credit unions interested in learning more about Bite of Reality or Biz Kid$ should email NWCUF Development and Program Coordinator Maija Noll or call 503-333-2695.
Posted in Asset Building.
