Financial Literacy Benefits

Do you want to give your students the power to succeed in any financial situation? Money makes the world go round, so understanding finances and building a foundation in financial literacy will help students move through their financial future with confidence. Financial literacy is an essential topic for any individual, which is why Financial Literacy Fest is the perfect opportunity to introduce Financial literacy into the classroom. 

TL;DR

• Be Prepared so students understand how to navigate their financial future
• Support Soft Skills that build students’ financial confidence and resilience 
• Inspire Action among students toward financial literacy

Be Prepared

Financial confidence and know-how will not only help students through various financial situations, but will also enable them to feel financially secure and capable through unpredictable times. Throughout their lives, students will navigate the financial challenges of adulthood, from student loans, to buying a house, to travelling, and much more. Each of these scenarios requires knowledge and planning to be financially successful and confident. 

Moreover, life can be uncertain with twists and turns around each corner. Emergency preparedness and investing in foundational financial knowledge are essential for students’ futures. Good examples of financial preparation include learning about taxes and insurance. Learning how to do your taxes is an inevitable step in life, and the more practice and review students obtain, the easier the process will be. Similarly, there are multiple situations throughout life where insurance is necessary. Understanding the ins and outs of insurance will help students properly prepare for any changes that come their way. With the breadth of knowledge and resources available, students are building a financial toolkit that prepares them to succeed in their financial future.


The Empowering Futures: Boosting Girls’ Financial Confidence Through Gamified Learning research brief by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) highlights the impact of gamified financial education on closing the gender gap in financial literacy. Through the partnership with ChatterHigh, over 7,400 students in grades 6-12 across Canada engaged in gamified financial literacy courses: Money Management Foundations and Managing My Money After High School. The results showed significant improvements in financial knowledge and confidence for both girls and boys, with girls experiencing notable gains in areas like credit card knowledge, awareness of future expenses, and financial preparedness. This research demonstrates how gamified learning can foster financial resilience and confidence, especially for girls, helping them step into adulthood with the skills needed to navigate real-world financial challenges.

Support Soft Skills

Soft skills are an essential part of almost any industry today, which makes them invaluable skills to learn in school. As Financial Literacy Fest boasts school prizes, students are motivated and encouraged to work together and subsequently boost their communication and collaboration skills throughout the competition. What’s more, there are many different resources that students will encounter, which will require critical thinking and problem-solving skills to find the right answers. Financial Literacy Fest will give students the knowledge and resources they need to apply these skills in real-life situations.

Soft skills help students not only navigate the financial world, but know what to do if something unexpected happens. Skills like adaptability, resilience, and stress management are key to managing money and making informed decisions. These skills help students cope with stress, bounce back from setbacks, and maintain a positive attitude. Financial Literacy Fest’s multiple competitions dive into the importance of financial planning and goal-setting, so students have concrete examples of actionable financial literacy and how it can benefit their everyday lives.

Inspire Action

Competitions within Financial Literacy Fest foster school engagement and encourage students to invest time and effort into their financial know-how. This doubly fosters teamwork between classmates, where working together can boost creativity and create clear goals that push students to engage with their learning. Similarly, school pride evolves out of a shared sense of competition, where students are motivated by one another to complete the course, and in some courses, they can even earn a certificate! 

Once students have gained a comprehensive financial literacy foundation, they can tackle many types of money management. Money management can include investing, saving, budgeting, or simply preventing debt, highlighting once again how financial literacy applies to everyday life. Financial knowledge can also help students become savvy consumers, where they will have a better understanding of financial concepts that inform decision-making.

Lastly, as students develop their financial literacy know-how, they broaden their opportunities. Comprehensive financial literacy opens the door to career possibilities and planning as students understand the economic restraints and requirements of different professions, programs and postsecondary institutions.

Conclusion

Financial literacy is an essential part of everyday life, which is why the sooner students start exploring financial resources, the better! Students will benefit from a unique opportunity to see examples of various tax documents and explore complicated concepts in a simplified and streamlined format. The varied activities and resources that students will encounter will help them build a financial toolkit that they can use at any point along their financial journey.  

Moreover, ChatterHigh can be accessed from anywhere and students can work at their own pace. Students will gain soft skills like critical thinking and decision-making as they discover a variety of reliable financial literacy resources. Financial Literacy Fest gives students the knowledge, tools, and confidence they need to pursue their financial goals in the future.