Project: Savings – every little helps!
Introduction
Students to work in groups to design and publicise a tool (e.g. a poster, blog, leaflet etc.) to encourage all young people to save.
Organisation
Depending on your class, the project may involve some of the following elements:
- Divide the class into small teams and allocate responsibilities as required.
- Review learning on savings from Section 3: Lessons 5, 6 and 7.
- Using digital or any other media (e.g. paper, markers, cut-outs from magazines/newspapers etc.) students to work in groups to design and publicise a tool (e.g. a poster, blog, leaflet etc.) to encourage all young people to save. Their tool must include both images and text and should do the following:
- Explain what saving means (i.e. putting away money now so that you can use it later).
- Encourage young people to save (e.g. either for a specific money goal or to pay for unexpected future costs; to earn interest; to reduce the need to borrow etc.).
- Provide information about the types of savings accounts that exist and the terms and conditions attached to the different types of accounts.
- Remind their audience that in terms of saving, every little helps!
- Provide a mechanism for feedback from young people about the effectiveness of their tool in encouraging saving habits.
Debrief
Class discusses what worked well; what did not work well; what they learned; what they would do differently etc.
Reflection Journal
At the conclusion of their Savings Project each student should reflect on the experience, using written, audio, visual or digital format. Student reflections should include:
- A summary of information they have learned
- Reflection on skills they have developed
- A record of particular insights they have gained
- Questions they are still left with
- Reflection on what they have learned from this and what it means for their own lives or for the future
Project Record
Students are required to complete at least three projects relating to different sections of the course and must create a Project Record for one action taken during the short course. [NB: work completed in First Year cannot be submitted for certification].
If students decide to produce a Project Record for the Savings Project they can do so in written, audio, visual or digital form. Regardless of the format chosen, students should ensure that their individual Project Record communicates:
- Why I chose this project
- What the aims of my project were and what means I chose to achieve the aims
- How I sourced and used research
- How I worked with others in carrying out the project activities
- How I organised and managed myself
- Key moments or milestones
- Any challenges I encountered
- Evidence of my individual participation in the project activities
- My overall reflections on what I have learned through planning and participating in the project activities
- What I/we achieved
