The credit union philosophy is "people helping people." Financial Center is extending this philosophy to promote financial literacy with the youth in our community. This program is a partnership between Financial Center and the school corporation to promote healthy financial decisions for teens. Through this program, the credit union has an ultimate goal of an improved educational process that utilizes the joint resources of both the local schools and our credit union.
Financial Center currently operates three student-run Centers in the Indianapolis area.
- J. Everett Light Career Center at North Central High School
- Walker Career Center at Warren Central High School
- Arsenal Technical High School
Benefits
The student-run Center and financial literacy program is a unique way to improve students' lives inside and outside the school by having a complete understanding of the financial industry and financial literacy.
Benefits for the School Corporation
This program provides the school an opportunity to provide real world experiences in the safety of the school building along with convenience for students and faculty by having a full service credit union center inside the school facility. Also, this program is designed to be incorporated into many different courses that the school may offer.
The Financial Literacy and Student Credit Union Program is provided at no cost to the school or the school corporation. A Financial Center staff member is onsite to oversee operations and verify that policies are followed during all hours of operations and to teach the NEFE financial literacy curriculum.
Benefits for the Student
The students in the school corporation will have the opportunity to be ahead in their financial planning goals prior to entering college or work life after high school.
Students will become better consumers of financial services and make better decisions regarding their own financial management. Financial Center has various products and services to offer the students and faculty that fit their needs accordingly.
Student members will learn independent financial management and basic financial literacy skills. In addition, the students that participate in the student-run Center will practice relevant mathematics and customer service skills with the real-world responsibilities of handling cash, account management, confidentiality and communication.
Interested in Bringing a Student-Run Center to Your School?
Please contact Jo Kiel, Vice President of Retail Operations (317.916.6109) or Tara Turner, Director of Financial Literacy Services (317.916.7717).
NEFE Financial Literacy Program
The National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) created the NEFE High School Financial Planning Program to provide high school students with practical money-management skills and an introduction to financial planning through coursework that covers the fundamentals of money management. The program uses contemporary materials to teach the basics of personal finance to young people while they are developing habits and attitudes about money that will influence them for the rest of their lives. It is based on the philosophy that learning about money is as important as earning it - and that effective money management results from a disciplined behavior, which is most easily mastered if learned early in life.
This program is in compliance with many National and Indiana state standards and uses interactive exercises and assignments to get students thinking about their financial plan and future.
There are seven units within the NEFE curriculum.
Unit 1 - Your Financial Plan: Where it all Begins
Unit 2 - Budgeting: Making the Most of Your Money
Unit 3 - Investing: Making Money Work for You
Unit 4 - Good Debt, Bad Debt, Using Credit Wisely
Unit 5 - Your Money: Keeping it Safe and Secure
Unit 6 - Insurance: Protecting What You Have
Unit 7 - Your Career: Doing What Matters Most
For additional information on the NEFE curriculum, please visit www.hsfpp.nefe.org.