Most would agree that young people need real-world skills so that they can succeed as adults. One of these skills, financial literacy, is so important to future success that beginning this September, Ontario high school students in Grade 10 must earn new financial literacy graduation requirements as part of their compulsory mathematics course.
Organizations such as JA South Western Ontario (JASWO) believe in the boundless potential of young people, and advocate for the impact of relevant hands-on learning from grades 4-12 to inspire youth and produce young leaders ready for success in work and in life. They do this by delivering experiential programs in the classroom, centered around three core pillars: financial health, work readiness, and entrepreneurship.
In the 2023-24 school year, they served over 30,000 students in 284 schools! Interested teachers can register to have trained volunteers from the corporate world share their knowledge with students in a day-long curriculum-adjacent workshop at www.jaswo.org.
“Our mission is to ensure that every student succeeds in the global economy,” states Karen Gallant, President and CEO at JASWO.
One of the ways they do this is through a Kindred Charitable Fund grant, where JASWO has been able to deliver their Dollars with Sense program for students in Grade 7 in Waterloo Region. The program teaches about wants vs. needs, budgeting, credit card financing, and investments. Learning takes place in a fun, interactive way. “By the end of the day, students are eager to do the next level – the Grade 8 module,” continues Gallant.
Karen Gallant and the team at JASWO believe in the value of Dollars with Sense so much that they have delivered the program themselves a few times. “I come away learning something each time,” comments Mandy Deelstra, Volunteer Manager, “and the kids are so enthusiastic! You can tell that they are blown away by the skills they’ve learned.” She remembers one student who decided to start a babysitting business after attending a Dollars with Sense workshop.
Kindred has a unique purpose, cooperative banking that connects values and faith with finances, inspiring peaceful, just, and prosperous communities. Prosperous communities can only be achieved when the members of that community have financial literacy. Kindred is pleased to support the valuable learning provided by JASWO, through the Kindred Charitable Fund. We hope that programs like Dollars with Sense will help young Ontarians make peace with their money well into the future.