WASHINGTON — The American Bankers Association Foundation has launched its 2024 financial education campaigns, saying the goal is to improve consumers’ financial well-being.
The launch “continues the ABA Foundation’s three-year, industry-wide commitment to reaching five million Americans with financial education courses through its campaigns,” the organization said. “In 2023, the Foundation made significant progress with 35,000 bank volunteers from 816 banks reaching 1.23 million people.”
The ABA Foundation reported it offers four national initiatives designed to equip banker volunteers with the tools necessary to share essential financial knowledge in their local communities.
“This year, the Foundation will roll out new resources and revamped content for several of its programs to help bankers cultivate connections with customers of all ages, deepen partnerships with community organizations, and build a more inclusive economic future,” the Foundation said.
All of the Foundation programs are free to both ABA member and non-member banks.
The Four Programs
The four programs include:
Teach Children to Save
The ABA Foundation’s signature initiative, Teach Children to Save, now in its 27th year, is a national campaign that provides tools and resources to educate local K-8 students about money and real-world financial concepts through classroom presentations, engaging activities, social media and other outreach efforts, the organization said.
The ABA Foundation reported it is set to update its entire suite of program materials to meet the latest Jump$tart Coalition standards and will offer an improved program website.
Get Smart About Credit
According to the Foundation,Get Smart About Credit is a national program that helps bankers equip teens and young adults with an understanding of budgeting, credit scores, identity theft and paying for college, in addition to encouraging the exploration of careers in banking. Later this year, the ABA Foundation said it will continue to roll out new content focused around preparing for “financial firsts.” The campaign is celebrated annually on the third Thursday of October (which is also International Credit Union Day).
Safe Banking for Seniors
The ABA Foundation’s Safe Banking for Seniors program is led by banker volunteers nationwide with a goal of helping older customers, their families and caregivers understand and mitigate the risks of fraud and financial exploitation. New to this year’s programming is a module on ‘known perpetrator fraud’ that includes a presenter’s guide, PowerPoint presentation, activity sheets and participant handouts, the Foundation said.
Lights, Camera, Save!
Lights, Camera, Save! is a national video contest that encourages teens to create a video up to 30 seconds long that demonstrates the importance of using money wisely. The national grand prize winners of the 2023-2024 contest are set to be announced Feb. 20 and are eligible to win up to $5,000.
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