The JA More than Money Programme was rolled out to three primary schools in Diepsloot, Gauteng
Around 600 Grade 7 learners at three primary schools: Reshomile, Diepsloot and Diepsloot Combined, were taught how to be money wise, through the JASA More than Money in a Day Programme hosted there on Friday 20 April.
Funded by AIG, several volunteers from the company were trained to assist JASA staff, together with the Grade 7 teachers, to facilitate the programme of five sessions. Using interactive materials and games aligned to the CAPS curriculum, participants become financially aware and learn the basics on how to start a business.
EMS Teacher Bongiwe Ngobese said, “The connection this programme has with our curriculum is very good. We are still going to start teaching finance this semester so the children are getting a head start in familiarising themselves with the finance terms and ideas.” She also commented that several learners were already budding entrepreneurs. Some would go to the mall and buy items to resell, such as ice in hot weather, while others found things around their houses to sell.
“The children are already in tune with the concepts being taught and this course reinforces what they know. As they were going out of the classroom for lunch I could hear some of them repeating the concepts and exercises that we had gone through,” commented AIG employee Rachel Makwela.
Bongani Miya from AIG facilitated the sessions in Zulu. One learner told him how she holds jumble sales outside her house gate, selling old clothes. “So the entrepreneurial spirit is already there – they just need to be guided in the right direction.”
Another employee from AIG, Ferguson Langenhoven, commented,
“The students are so involved in the learning that I think this is really creating a legacy for their future as money earners. It is important to start this education at a young level so that when they start earning money they will use it wisely.”
AIG’s Annual Survey on Teen’s attitudes to finances
For the past 20 years Junior Achievement has conducted an annual survey of 1 000 US teens to gain a better understanding of how they see their financial futures. Being Financial Literacy Month, April is an apt time to release the results, which can be found here.
This year’s survey covers teens’ financial plans and concerns, as well as what they think about topical issues, such asBitcoin. Their main concerns include being able to pay for college, finding a well-paying job, not being to afford a home and not having money management skills.
In the survey results, teens stated their financial goals for the future include graduating from college (75%), creating a savings plan (50%), affording international travel (37%), starting a business (30%), and retiring before age 65 (29%). “It’s apparent from these findings that today’s youth think a lot about their financial futures, and are looking for ways to be better prepared to be successful at managing money,” said Laura Gallagher, Global Head of Corporate Citizenship at AIG. “One way AIG is helping on this front is by partnering with organisations like Junior Achievement to get young people the information they need to be more prepared and to feel more confident about their futures.” To read the survey results, click here.
Thank you to AIG and the team of volunteers who came on board to assist with the programme!
