Credit Union Offers Financial Program for Students

Originally posted on sunthisweek.com

In partnership with Banzai, Wings has agreed to a sponsorship that will make curriculum available to schools in portions of Dakota, Ramsey and Hennepin counties at no cost.

“Banzai is a web-based financial literacy program. Students get their own accounts, and work through assignments that are based on real life,” Morgan Vandagriff, co-founder of Banzai, said.

“Education programs like Banzai work hand-in-hand with our mission to improve financial literacy in our local community,” said Trysh Olson, financial education and youth programs manager at Wings.

Banzai is an interactive, online program supplemented by printed workbooks that aligns with state curriculum requirements for personal finance education. In 2010, the Institute for Financial Literacy awarded Banzai the Curriculum of the Year award. It has become the largest program of its kind, servicing more than 10,000 schools in all 50 states.

Students using the program are exposed to real-life scenarios in which they learn to pay bills and balance a budget, but it’s not always easy. Students must learn to manage unexpected expenses such as parking tickets, interest charges and overdraft fees. The educational program also introduces students to auto loans, bank statements, entertainment costs, savings and more.

Teachers interested in using the Banzai program can visit teachbanzai.com or call 888-8-BANZAI.