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Maryland Symposium on Youth Financial Education Part Two Participants in the July 19th Symposium on Youth Financial Education Part Two agreed that once again the program was "outstanding." Nearly thirty credit union professionals, with a passion for youth education and financial literacy, took advantage of the opportunity to learn, share and network. This follow-up session to the (first) April Youth Symposium provided opportunities for participating Credit Unions to learn more about classroom education initiatives. Topics included conducting powerful presentations, using Junior Achievement, the High School Financial Planning Program, and other educational resources, how to coordinate youth educational seminars, and more. Facilitator Heather H. Harris, DE a national leader in credit union youth education returned to conduct the "hands-on workshop" providing resources, tools and information to conduct presentations to youth in various arenas. Harris said, "Whether it is in a kindergarten classroom, an alternative high school, a seminar at your credit union, or any youth organization -- financial education is needed and appreciated." Heather led the group in a classroom exercise on credit and car buying, and shared two icebreakers effective for all ages. She also shared "Black & White Youth Facts," which will soon be available on the MDCUF website. The spotlight of the morning's presentation was on "The Teen Brain: Youth Marketing and Education." Some of the statistics on Gen Y were staggering, which included: "Teenagers alone influence $324 billion in spending annually." "Gen Y - They're big as the boomers, they like financial services custom fit, online and outrageous. And they're fiercely loyal." - From COOL Solutions "The 18-25 age group is the credit union industry's 'forgotten market'." Stephanie Peltzer, First Financial Federal CU, shared a Power Point presentation and handouts that their youth specialists use in Baltimore and Carroll County classrooms, which was well received by the participants. Tina Ripken, APGFCU, led the group in an exercise, called the "I" Opener," which their youth team uses in Harford County schools. According to the National Youth Involvement Board (NYIB), APG FCU is a long-standing national leader. During the 2004/05 school year alone, APG's "YES Team" collectively reached 5,959 students, through 228 presentations. A final element of the Symposium was a tour of the NYIB website, where classroom presentations can be reported (www.nyib). Last year, Maryland was sixth in the nation. Harris encouraged all Maryland CU's to report their efforts by saying, "every presentation is important - whether you do one a year or 74 like Diane Moore at HAR-CO Maryland FCU."
Maryland Symposium on Youth Financial Education In April 2005 the Maryland Credit Union Foundation sponsored the first Maryland Symposium on Youth Financial Education. More than 50 credit union professionals with a passion for financial literacy and youth education attended the session. Facilitator Heather Harris, DE, conducted a positive hands-on session focusing on all aspects of youth financial education. The credit unions shared their own experiences and ideas on providing financial education to students and schools in their membership. Many of the credit unions brought sample materials on youth financial literacy to share with the others. It truly was a giant step to help gather best practices to share with Maryland's credit union community. A follow up session is planned for July. The response from the attendees was fantastic. On the evaluation form under "What I liked BEST about the program":
On the evaluation form under "What skills/ideas from this program can you implement in your CU":
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