HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Citi and Po Leung Kuk have once again partnered to launch the Agent Penny and Will Power Series for the new academic year 2016/17. This year, for the first time, the program will transform primary schools into Financial Campuses to promote financial education and literacy among students.
To inculcate proper financial knowledge and skills in students, on top of formal classroom teaching, activities that encourage students to actively apply financial knowledge can also be very effective. In this respect, the role and participation of the schools and teachers is indispensable.
According to an evaluation report on the previous year’s Agent Penny and Will Power series1, only 30% of the interviewed teacher group felt confident about teaching financial literacy before the start of the program. However, this number soared to over 80% after they attended the training workshops. The results indicate both a demand for teacher training in financial education, and the effectiveness of the activities offered by the series in boosting their abilities to teach financial literacy.
In light of these encouraging findings, the Agent Penny and Will Power Series will place even more focus on enhancing the teaching methodologies in the 2016/17 academic year. The aim is to create a financial learning atmosphere in schools and equip teachers with the proper teaching resources. This all-round approach makes financial education more fun and interactive, and motivates students to develop the right attitude and healthy habits towards money management from an early age.
A new program feature titled “Financial Education Game Booths” will be introduced to instill financial concepts through practical experience, and encourage active learning and real life application of financial knowledge. To enhance teachers’ knowledge and skills in teaching financial literacy, there will be training resources and more teacher workshops to empower them with the skills to incorporate financial education across different academic subjects. In addition, a series of activities will take place in the coming school year, including the financial comic book, drama shows and the “Financial Cadets” initiative, which encourages students to record their expenses regularly. All these initiatives aim to create a sustainable atmosphere for learning financial knowledge, and transform primary schools into Financial Campuses.
Mr. Wayne Fong, Head of Corporate Affairs, Citi Hong Kong, said: “Citi has been partnering with Po Leung Kuk for many years to promote financial literacy in primary schools, with the support and participation of the Education Bureau as well as numerous schools across Hong Kong. We look forward to building upon our success and bringing to schools a more diverse array of activities and support materials this academic year. Through these initiatives, we hope to create a positive learning environment that will help motivate students to learn about money management and provide an opportunity for them to put into practice proper financial concepts, which will benefit them for life.”
Ms. Abbie S.K. Chan, Acting Chairman, Po Leung Kuk Board of Directors 2016-17, added, “Youth Development is always Po Leung Kuk’s focus. Service experience learnt from Po Leung Kuk Life Planning & Financial Education Centre (LPFEC) has indicated that financial education should start as early as children have developed ‘money concept’ in primary school. A timely financial education not only facilitates good financial habit cultivation, but also puts positive impact on life-planning. This year’s project theme of ‘Financial Campus’ targets primary school students in their senior forms; it is a direct response to their needs for financial education. We are very happy to continue to partner with Citi and have the strong support from the Education Bureau to utilize the joint efforts from the business, education and social sectors to help local students accumulate money management knowledge and equip them for the future.”
Since the Agent Penny and Will Power Series was launched in 2005, about 550 financial education drama shows and workshops have been organized, reaching about 150,000 primary school students, teachers and parents. Funded by the Citi Foundation, supported by the Education Bureau and co-organized by Citi and Po Leung Kuk, the new Agent Penny and Will Power Series will continue to promote financial literacy in the academic year 2016/17 through a series of financial education activities in schools and the community. For more information, please visit www.agentpenny.com.
1 Based on an evaluation report conducted in 2015-16 on the estimated impact of various activities of the seventh Agent Penny and Will Power series, including drama shows, parent workshops and teacher workshops.
About Citi
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.
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About Citi Foundation
The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. We invest in efforts that increase financial inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and reimagine approaches to building economically vibrant cities. The Citi Foundation’s “More than Philanthropy” approach leverages the enormous expertise of Citi and its people to fulfill our mission and drive thought leadership and innovation. For more information, visitwww.citifoundation.com
About Po Leung Kuk
Founded in 1878, Po Leung Kuk, as one of the largest charity organizations in Hong Kong, has been serving Hong Kong for 138 years with its objective of “Protecting the Young and the Innocent” (保赤安良). Currently, the Kuk has around 290 units strategically located in Hong Kong and provides services in social welfare, education, recreation and cultural fields. We have around 40,000 students in our schools. The service attendance at the Kuk exceeds 550,000 annually. For more information about Po Leung Kuk, please go to www.poleungkuk.org.hk.