High School Students Learn Real Life Money Skills
PAYSON, Ill. (WGEM) – Schools across the tri-states are tightening their budgets each year, and that means many important classes are dropped from the curriculum.
Originally posted on wgem.com
Now, thanks to help from the community kids are learning important life skills.
High school is a time where many people land their first job.
And, many of them haven’t learned how to budget their money properly.
That’s why officials at Payson-Seymour High School say learning financial literary is key to being successful in the future.
Students in Diane Germann’s Resource Management class learn many real life lessons each day as a part of the curriculum.
And, thanks to money from Members “First” Community Credit Union in Quincy, students will learn about budgeting through a program called Banzai.
“This program allows us to take them into you know financing, using their checking accounts, using an ATM and using all their resources wisely,” said Germann.
The Banzai program is a web-based program that allows students to learn about money in a hands-on way.
Students have to pay rent, pay bills and balance their checking accounts.
“It will help me manage my money and what to do with my money once I start making an income,” said Junior Chekka Boewe.
“It will help us save up our money like use it wisely, spend it wisely, and not blow it on things with don’t need,” said Shane Hieland.
Melissa Clopper of Members “First” Community Credit Union says many times due to tight school budgets classes about finances are scrapped, and that’s why these programs are important.
“They don’t have the access to it or the books are so old that is doesn’t relate to today’s world where originally you taught them how to write a check. There’s not a lot of sixteen or seventeen year olds that don’t carry a checkbook anymore,” said Clopper.
And, Clopper says in her experience in the banking world, these skills are critical survive as an adult.
“Unfortunately, in today’s world, adults are still living very much pay check to pay check and starting at a younger age it gives them an edge on basically the real world in figuring out budgeting,” said Clopper.
The program is available to any school free of charge in Adams, Brown, Pike and Schuyler counties.
Teachers interested in using the Banzai program can visit teachbanzai.com or call 888-8-BANZAI.