Caritas in Volyn taught financial literacy nearly 150 school children

03.12.13, Volyn
Employees of Caritas Volyn have recently finished series of scientific and educational events on financial literacy for children of school age.  All in all, during a year trainings seize nearly 150 children: there were 10 lessons with group of 25 children from social center of local Caritas, 10 lessons with group of 20 labour migrants kids; 55 children of 8-9 forms took a course on financial debates; 11 orphanages from foster families and family-type children’s homes passed a cycle of 3 lessons; 28 kids of 7 form took 2 thematic courses.

The main objectives of these events are raising the competence of children to manage their finances and also popularization of systematic money saving, storing up financial means for the financial stability in future.

Not many teenagers have a shaped interest to financial issues – state employees of local Caritas – that’s why lessons are conducted with help of interactive games, exercises, multifaceted communication in interesting and friendly atmosphere. Teenagers will get acquainted with reasons for saving money and how it should be done so that the process will be comfortable, learn to estimate and optimize own budget.

Such work of Caritas Volyn is a part of 3-year project “Social and psychological support for children and youth with problems and difficulties in education and socialization” that is implemented by Caritas Ukraine since September this year. Team of workers, consisting of 23 individuals in national and regional offices of Caritas Ukraine, aim their activities at favoring social integration of children and youth who because of various reasons have challenges in education, behavior and social adaptation. Project is based on former experience of social work with labour migrants children, established contacts and cooperation with other structures and local communities.

There are the following criteria on selecting children-clients for regional organizations of Caritas Ukraine: serious problems in education process, playing truant and expulsion from schools, behavioral problems at schools (violence, baiting, negative impact of peers etc), dangerous action (alcohol, drugs, tobacco, early sexual relationships, depressions), difficulties in communication with other children and adults, complicated relations with parents, neglected kids in families. In general the project seizes almost 1000 children and young people aged from 6 to 18 years old.

Why does Caritas Volyn teach school-children financial literacy and whether it is a priority in social work?  Victoria Skrynnikova, coordinator on work with children and youth in local Caritas, assures that there are no financial stereotypes in conscience of children and the only problem is lack of interest to practical experience and absence of necessity to solve real financial problems.

During the training social teacher Tetyana Galytska suggested children an interesting exercise on where Ukrainian pupils can take money for savings: “Experts on personal finances advise to save 10% of any received sum. And it is important to remember that ways to earn and save money exist concurrently. Along with this fact everyone should understand that economy is a good trait, but it is impossible to save financial means endlessly.

Each person has basic needs – food, health, clothes, accommodation, security, communication, leisure, development of skills etc. These needs should be secured in a quality manner and for this, particularly, financial literacy is necessary.”

“Despite saving up money for future purchase and receiving profit, stored up financial means give person possibilities and freedom of action. For some reason nobody teaches us – neither at home, nor at school or in church – and it seems that it is a root for many problems!” noted 16-year-old Yulia, participant of training on financial literacy.