Newly Introduced $ky Digital Game Cited for Providing Youth an Engaging Way to
Learn About Managing Money
Learn About Managing Money
ATLANTA, April 12, 2017 – Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Charles Schwab Foundation were recently recognized for their Money Matters $ky digital game with a 2017 Excellence in Financial Literacy Education (EIFLE) Award for Instructional Game of the Year. The award honors organizations that have demonstrated exceptional innovation and commitment to the field of financial literary education.
BGCA and Charles Schwab Foundation developed $ky to offer teens nationwide a fun interactive and engaging web-based tool to learn about the fundamentals of personal finance. $ky was designed to supplement and complement the Money Matters: Make It CountSM program and through a gamification approach promote financial responsibility by demonstrating how each financial decision a person makes impacts their future. Each game experience can last for up to 20 minutes and begins with the player in the teen years and well into the adult phase, resembling various life stages of financial decision-making.
“It is an honor to be recognized with this prestigious EIFLE award,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, president of Charles Schwab Foundation. “Since 2004 our team has worked alongside Boys & Girls Clubs across the country to provide teens with the financial education they need to succeed, and the addition of the $ky game to our Money Matters program further extends the reach of these essential lessons.”
The $ky Game is the latest addition to the Money Matters: Make It Count suite of financial literacy offerings for Club teens.
Other components include:
A total of 11 scholarships will be awarded in 2017, including a $5,000 scholarship for this year’s National Money Matters Ambassador, Angel Carter. Carter, a 17-year old Boys & Girls Club member from Atlanta, was selected as National Ambassador based on her achievements in acquiring and applying personal finance knowledge and skills as well as sharing the importance of financial education with her peers. Carter serves as an advocate for expanding teens’ knowledge of money management to help them ultimately achieve financial independence and well-being.
“The Money Matters $ky Game taught me smart, simple habits that I can apply in real life to positively impact my financial situation,” said Carter. “My biggest takeaway was how to budget my expenses, and the importance of distinguishing between wants and needs to save for the future.”
Since its inception 13 years ago, the Money Matters program has reached more than 725,000 Club teens. A recent evaluation of 1,600 teens from more than 100 Boys & Girls Clubs demonstrated the program helped them become smarter about managing money. Youth showed improvement on 94 percent of survey questions asked before and after taking the program in their Boys & Girls Club.
About the EIFLE Awards
The Institute for Financial Literacy created the Excellence In Financial Literacy Education (EIFLE) Awards to promote the effective delivery of consumer financial products, services and education by acknowledging the accomplishments of those that advance financial literacy education. Each year, the Institute for Financial Literacy presents the EIFLE Awards to individuals and organizations that have shown exceptional innovation, dedication and commitment to the field of financial literacy education.
About Charles Schwab Foundation
Charles Schwab Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization funded by Charles Schwab Corporation. Its mission is to create positive change through financial education, philanthropy, and volunteerism. More information is available at www.aboutschwab.com/community. The Charles Schwab Foundation is classified by the IRS as a charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation is neither a part of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC) nor its parent company, Charles Schwab Corporation.
Charles Schwab Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America are unaffiliated entities.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (GreatFutures.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,300 Clubs serve nearly 4 million young people annually through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun, friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Priority programs emphasize academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 54 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at Facebook and Twitter.
“It is an honor to be recognized with this prestigious EIFLE award,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, president of Charles Schwab Foundation. “Since 2004 our team has worked alongside Boys & Girls Clubs across the country to provide teens with the financial education they need to succeed, and the addition of the $ky game to our Money Matters program further extends the reach of these essential lessons.”
The $ky Game is the latest addition to the Money Matters: Make It Count suite of financial literacy offerings for Club teens.
Other components include:
- Money Matters Curriculum -- provides Club staff and volunteers with basic financial information and lesson plans for small-group activities and instruction.
- Reality Store Workshops -- offer an interactive, group experience that shows how education, career, and family impact financial decision-making.
- Money Matters Website -- helps teens build their money management skills through interactive activities and tools such as a savings and financial aid calculator to help them plan for college.
- Money Matters Scholarships -- highlight and promote the Money Matters program among Club teens ages 16 to 18. To date, Charles Schwab Foundation has awarded $546,000 in scholarships to program participants who demonstrate outstanding personal finance leadership skills.
A total of 11 scholarships will be awarded in 2017, including a $5,000 scholarship for this year’s National Money Matters Ambassador, Angel Carter. Carter, a 17-year old Boys & Girls Club member from Atlanta, was selected as National Ambassador based on her achievements in acquiring and applying personal finance knowledge and skills as well as sharing the importance of financial education with her peers. Carter serves as an advocate for expanding teens’ knowledge of money management to help them ultimately achieve financial independence and well-being.
“The Money Matters $ky Game taught me smart, simple habits that I can apply in real life to positively impact my financial situation,” said Carter. “My biggest takeaway was how to budget my expenses, and the importance of distinguishing between wants and needs to save for the future.”
Since its inception 13 years ago, the Money Matters program has reached more than 725,000 Club teens. A recent evaluation of 1,600 teens from more than 100 Boys & Girls Clubs demonstrated the program helped them become smarter about managing money. Youth showed improvement on 94 percent of survey questions asked before and after taking the program in their Boys & Girls Club.
About the EIFLE Awards
The Institute for Financial Literacy created the Excellence In Financial Literacy Education (EIFLE) Awards to promote the effective delivery of consumer financial products, services and education by acknowledging the accomplishments of those that advance financial literacy education. Each year, the Institute for Financial Literacy presents the EIFLE Awards to individuals and organizations that have shown exceptional innovation, dedication and commitment to the field of financial literacy education.
About Charles Schwab Foundation
Charles Schwab Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization funded by Charles Schwab Corporation. Its mission is to create positive change through financial education, philanthropy, and volunteerism. More information is available at www.aboutschwab.com/community. The Charles Schwab Foundation is classified by the IRS as a charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation is neither a part of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC) nor its parent company, Charles Schwab Corporation.
Charles Schwab Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America are unaffiliated entities.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (GreatFutures.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,300 Clubs serve nearly 4 million young people annually through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun, friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Priority programs emphasize academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 54 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at Facebook and Twitter.
