Content, Conversation, and Confidence: The 3 C's of teaching financial literacy

We've built Money Matters around group discussion, so learners can ask questions, highlight concerns, and share advice with each other. This structure keeps the content aligned to the issues that are relevant to the people in the room—key for ensuring meaningful engagement and learning that lasts. 

 

Getting a group of adults to talk about money management, though, is no small thing. It's personal, it can be uncomfortable, and it's an area where we all have room for learning. That's where the volunteers come in. Friendly, welcoming, and full of the authoritative subject matter expertise that comes with working at a financial institution, they help create a safe, open space for learners. They share their knowledge as well as their own misconceptions and missteps—and they're upfront about not knowing all the answers. That gives learners permission not to know everything, either, which helps conversation and questions come more easily. 

3. The Confidence to Ask Questions

We know two to eight hours of workshops isn't going to complete anyone's financial literacy education. There's too much to learn. But by creating an environment where learners are comfortable asking questions about money management, Money Matters, and the practitioners and volunteers who deliver it, are setting learners up for continuing that education. In fact, it's one of our most important measures of success: that after the workshop, learners feel comfortable going into any financial institution to ask a question. Because asking a question, and knowing where to go to get the answer, are what keeps our financial literacy skills growing throughout our lives. We need the confidence to ask questions, and the right content and conversation can help us achieve it. 

Pictured above: Money Matters for Indigenous Peoples workshop at Northern Youth Abroad, Ottawa. Photo courtesy of Thorsten Gohl.