The Challenge at Finance Park - A “Real World” Experience
The Challenge at Finance Park is a four-week,
teacher-lead, standards based, economics education program that
introduces personal financial planning and career exploration,
culminating in a day-long visit at the The Challenge at Finance Park site.
Prior to their visit, teachers and volunteers attend on-site
training provided by Junior Achievement staff to prepare them to
lead students through the classroom curriculum.
During their visit to The Challenge at Finance Park,
students apply these learned concepts, with the help of their
teachers and volunteers, in a life-like community by assuming
various family and income scenarios and visiting businesses to
gather information for their personal financial decision-making.
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“A Day in the Park” – Putting Learning to Work
Upon entering The Challenge at Finance Park, each student is assigned their
unique “life situation” – a card to identify the details of
their adult persona, including marital status, number of
children (if any), education, employment and income.
The card might, for example,
classify a student as a single mother with two kids, junior college
education, and a sales associate job receiving an income of $40,000 per
year. Students will determine how much of their income is available to them
each month after taxes, and they will budget their money as they move about
the Park. Each student’s budget will become the most important determining
factor of his/her assumed role.
Participating
students use bank services, contribute to charities, purchase
housing, transportation, furnishings, food, health care, and other
expenses, make investment decisions, and work to create and balance
their personal budgets. Students will become conscious that choices,
compromises, and saving for the future are key concepts for living
within one’s means.
Real-life members of the community, including teachers, parents and
local business people, mentor students by actively participating in
their unique The Challenge at Finance Park experience.
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The Challenge at Finance Park Concepts and Skills:
• Credit and Debt
• Saving and Investing
• Taxes, Income and Social Security
• Pricing Research
• Planning: Budgeting and Money Management
• Career Goals |
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