Free Program Teaches Financial Literacy
About 240 Idaho schools are using Banzai, a free, online financial literacy program that teaches students about adult financial dilemmas.
Originally posted on www.bonnercountydailybee.com
Students are experiencing adult financial dilemmas from the inside of their own classrooms since P1FCU partnered with Banzai, an award-winning online financial literacy program.
Through the program, 240 schools in western and North Idaho are getting free education in how to manage their money.
“P1FCU has been passionate about providing financial literacy to our local youth since 1938,” said Kelly Hunt from P1FCU. “We chose to sponsor Banzai for teachers in our local schools because we recognized that many schools do not have the funding to provide additional curriculum. P1FCU strives to encourage financial literacy at a young age and Banzai makes learning about money fun.”
The goal at Banzai is to educate and inspire students to take their future into their own hands by developing positive financial habits. Banzai incorporates real-life scenarios such as paying rent, auto insurance, overdraft fees, saving for unexpected accidents, college, and more. Students navigate through the course and make realistic financial decisions. And similar to real life, the students are either rewarded or have repercussions based on those decisions.
A student at Culdesac School said, “I learned that it isn’t that easy to pay bills, ration your money, and stay on a budget. You can’t just immediately buy the nicest house, phone, or car. You need to buy your necessities before you buy anything else.” The student added, “And always save emergency money.”
Students are practicing being an adult without real financial consequences. The program helps them grasp how expensive being an adult really is.
A teacher at Boundary County Middle School said, “It has really opened the eyes of my students to a better understanding of budgeting, and just how much their parents spend.”
P1FCU has been sponsoring this program since 2014. Since then, more than 14,000 students have completed the Banzai program through their sponsorship.
Any local teachers interested in using Banzai in their classroom, visit p1fcu.teachbanzai.com to sign up.