Friday, 25 October 2024

Educating young people about their personal finance is the mission behind a new Australian designed and run program, launched today by Future Finances.

Created by financial experts practicing in the field, Future Finances and its engaging, modularised curriculum has been developed to meet the needs of nearly every student and parent who have reported a desire for financial education to be taught in school. 

The program spans a variety of topics aimed at improving financial literacy and wellbeing, from learning about the fundamentals of money management and healthy financial habits to engaging with real-life scenarios to hone students’ understanding and build confidence.

Future Finances Partnership Impact Director James Adcock said the launch – on World Teacher’s Day – was born from a purpose-driven goal to increase equity and access to financial education for people from all backgrounds, enhance student wellbeing and improve financial literacy.

“Less than a third of Australian school students graduate with the financial literacy knowledge and skills they need to make sensible choices with their money that set them up for bright futures,” Mr Adcock said.

“Nearly all parents (98%) and 94% of students want financial education to be taught in the classroom, according to findings from recent studies.

“We know, however, that there isn’t always the capacity and capability for schools to integrate this into the existing curriculum despite 94% of teachers reporting that financial education should be a core component. 

“Future Finances was brought to life to lay the strong foundation as early in people’s lives as possible – a foundation I wish I’d developed in school just like the majority of other students.

“We believe our program complements and enhances the level of financial education young people are able to receive today, all packaged in a plug and play format to avoid increasing teachers’ workload unnecessarily.”

Once schools have signed up to the program, Future Finances provides all the necessary tools for teachers to deliver it in the classroom in whichever format works best for their students, be it through the interactive e-learning portals with guided lesson plans or hands-on workbooks.

“Learning how to save money is only one piece of the puzzle. It’s just as important for young people to understand other key elements of earning money, like superannuation and accumulating debt,”  Mr Adcock said.

“Our hope is that bridging these knowledge gaps will boost the confidence of young people and result in healthy money mindsets and habits throughout their lives.”

For more information about Future Finances, visit https://futurefinances.com.au/. 

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: media@futurefinances.com.au