Toronto, Ont. (Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017) – Money management for teens becomes more engaging and less daunting with a new app called Save the Camp! Designed for students in grades 7 – 10, the app was developed by Meridian, Ontario’s largest credit union and The Learning Partnership.
“We wanted to find a way to improve financial literacy in schools,” says Scott Windsor, Vice-President of Corporate Communications at Meridian Credit Union. “So we brought together experts in financial literacy, youth education and game-based learning to develop Save the Camp! which is a teacher-tested, student-approved educational tool to help Canadian teens understand how to budget and manage money.”
Students from schools across Ontario were instrumental in the development of Save the Camp! and provided input on the theme of the app and the character design. Five Grade 10 students from Toronto tested the app before it was launched and have already found it to be useful.
“I feel that it was a fun way to learn about finances. It’s going to help me understand how to control my spending,” said Andrea Pungyan.
Erin Lin has already downloaded the app and hopes to work in finance someday, “It’s a pretty awesome game,” she said. “My mom is an accounting teacher and thinks that every child should play the game because people should know about finances these days.”
Grace Williams said, “You have to know about finances for your taxes and I think the app is useful for my future.”
Taylor Choi admits that she likes to save her money instead of spending and said, “The app will help me learn how to manage my money better. It’s also fun to play.”
Sydney Tri admitted, “It was pretty fun and a really good source of learning. I didn’t know about finances before I played the app but I am better at budgeting now.”
Teachers in various school boards and the Ministry of Education Curriculum division were consulted to ensure game mechanics were built into the app to address curriculum expectations for grades 7-10.
“Teachers are always searching for creative and innovative ways to engage students and enhance learning,” says Michelle Beveridge, Interim President & CEO of The Learning Partnership. “Save the Camp! is designed to teach financial literacy, and is one of a series of digital projects The Learning Partnership has recently undertaken to provide teachers with tools that will resonate with students while teaching them skills they will need to compete in the global economy.”
Canada’s Financial Literacy Leader Jane Rooney, whose mandate is to strengthen the financial literacy of Canadians by engaging partners from various sectors, has supported the development of the app since its conception.
“This app offers a tremendous opportunity to help young people build their financial literacy, which is an essential life skill,” says Rooney. “We want Canadian youth to learn about money early on so they can gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to make financial decisions. I’m pleased to see organizations from across Canada, including Meridian and The Learning Partnership, develop fun, engaging and interactive programs that strengthen Canadians’ financial literacy.”
The app can be downloaded on the App Store and Google Play Store. To learn more, visit Savethecamp.ca.
About Meridian
With over 70 years of banking history, Meridian is Ontario’s largest credit union, helping to grow the lives of a quarter of a million Members, including over 25,000 business Members. Meridian has $14 billion in assets under management and delivers a full range of financial services online, by phone, by mobile and through a network of 86 branches across Ontario, and commercial banking services in 11 locations. Meridian Members also have access to THE EXCHANGE® Network, with more than 3,300 no-fee ABMs across Canada and 500,000 ABMs in the United States. For more information, please visit: meridiancu.ca.
About The Learning Partnership
The Learning Partnership is a national charity dedicated to building stakeholder partnerships to support, promote and advance publicly funded education in Canada. We do this through five key deliverables - innovative student programs, executive leadership for educators, knowledge mobilization and policy, tribute celebrations of excellence and ongoing collaborations across Canada. Since 1993, more than 6.5 million students have participated in The Learning Partnership's programs. For more information about The Learning Partnership, visit www.thelearningpartnership.ca.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Priya Ramsingh, Manager, Media & Stakeholder Relations
647-530-3472
Priya.Ramsingh@meridiancu.ca