THE PROJECT
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Strategic partnership project
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School education sector
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Duration: 24 months (03/10/2022 – 02/10/2024)
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Funded by the Erasmus+ programme by the European Union
In recent years, issues relating to financial literacy education for youth with learning disabilities and disadvantaged on the labour market have gained the attention of a wide range of organizations, including banking and other financial institutions, state agencies, community organizations, schools, and special interest groups. There is a general consensus among researchers and policymakers that youth, including those with disabilities, Roma and marginalised students have a lack knowledge of financial concepts and do not have the necessary skills and tools to make wise decisions about financial matters. The ability to make informed financial decisions is essential for basic functioning in society. These decisions range from simple choices regarding daily spending and budgeting to the more complex processes of selecting insurance, banking, and investment products and saving for major life events such as attending labour market, the purchase of a home, management of financial resources, credits etc. Financial literacy deficiencies can affect young people’s money management skills and the ability to plan for long‐term goals. Additionally, poor money management can cause youth, including those with learning disabilities, to be easy prey to fraud and to fall into financial crises.
Therefore, our project will tackle this issue by production of specific training materials both for teachers and students, which will enable them to gain:
– knowledge and skills for short-term personal finance management and financial control: budgeting and control over household expenses, timely servicing of debts, reasonable judgment in making commitments and purchases.
– knowledge and skills for risk management and building financial sustainability.
– knowledge and skills for financial planning in the medium and long term: setting goals, saving and investing, including for the purpose of providing for the retirement period.
– knowledge and skills for prudent use of financial products and services.
– awareness of financial products and services: knowledge of the nature, opportunities and risks inherent in the respective products and services, ability to make informed choices about appropriate products and services.
– awareness of the rights and obligations of consumers of financial services and mechanisms for the protection of consumer rights.
From other side, we are addressing the needs also by teachers, who lacks from training material and appropriate guidance on how to implement financial literacy component as part of the school activities. We are suggesting appropriate format via educative videos and validation worksheets, which both will support the realisation of the training process. Overall, the project tackles the inclusion and diversity needs of disadvantaged and addressing also the recent National Strategy for Financial Literacy and its Action Plan for the period 2021-2025 approved on February 10, 2021 by the Council of Ministers in Republic of Bulgaria.