MY FINANCIAL FUTURE IN MY HANDS

Project summary

Economic conditions in Europe over the past 5-6 years have raised serious concerns about our generation's financial security, as well as our students' generation. The state in which many citizens in certain EU countries are is mostly the result of lack of skills and competences to understand changes on the financial market and control personal finances. The lack of financial literacy may lead to making poor financial choices that can have negative consequences on the financial well-being of an individual. On the other hand, even basic level of financial literacy skills can help individuals achieve financial stability and independence, a sort of control of their lives. This is why this project topic is crucial for financial independence and future of our students and new generations in general. Our key OBJECTIVE is to inform students about basic financial terms and teach them that it is possible to take control of their financial present and future. We want to give students the knowledge they can use at home in their families and affect their family financial decisions. We intend to do so through workshops on topics like the euro and its importance on the shared EU market, savings and investment, debt management and financial responsibility, renting vs. owning, online shopping, loans, scholarships and grants etc. Also, we want to make our students competitive on the job market and reinforce other key competences such as critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork and core competences such as ICT and communication skills. This kind of cooperation will allow our students to discover the diversity of EU cultures and be more socially aware and open-minded. PARTICIPANTS of the project will be secondary school students and teachers from 4 EU countries (Croatia, Italy, Germand and Sweden) from different types of schools (5). There will be more than 100 mobilities in the project over the 2 years, and the number of students and teachers participating in project activities is estimated at around 200 or more. Of course, several thousand of teachers and students will be indirect participants and users of our project results. Some ACTIVITIES we plan: - 5 short-term exchanges of groups of pupils - 10 workshops "My financial future in my hands" with following topics: My financial plan, My relation to money, The importance of following a budget, Income vs. Expenses, salary- gross and net, IT tools for help with budget planning, Creating a budget table, Debt management, Savings & Investment, Renting vs owning, Retirement plan) - minimum of 30 presentations and 50 posters (total) on financial terms, connected to the workshops - the comparative dictionary on eTwinning - visits to local financial institutions and faculties and guest lectures by professionals - quizzes and articles about financial terms METHODOLOGY During these activities students will be exposed to active learning methods which will engage them in a more attractive way of learning (research on the Internet, brainstorm, elicit important information, timelines, presenting etc). Also, we will pay a lot of attention on developing critical-thinking and problem-solving skills with students since these skills will be necessary especially during the second year of the project. We will pay great attention to improving students' and teachers' key skills and competences. RESULTS AND IMPACT (students) - testing and expanding students' language level and skills, and developing new digital skills and competences - increase students' ability to work in international teams - raising awareness of our own culture and the need to combat stereotypes and xenophobia - improving social skills, self-confidence and self-esteem - stimulate the development of one's personality while developing skills of critical thinking, organizing and producing something new - raising awareness in the context of vocational training - learning how to recognize a possible financial problem, and work on its solution after informing themselves RESULTS AND IMPACT (teachers/staff) - enhancing the quality and European dimension of teacher training - developing new skills and competences - learning how to motivate and inspire students to be more aware of the importance of financial literacy on their future - supporting the prevention of dropping out of school by young people RESULTS AND IMPACT (participating schools) - getting a European dimension - gaining new insights into national and local culture, as well as examples of good managerial work - strengthening cooperation with local authorities, businesses, various institutions, schools and social organizations