Educators
Educators at all levels are encouraged to motivate their students to enroll as a Youth Saver or FCCLA Saver on-line. This opportunity will allow students to commit to a savings goal and identify specific plans to achieve. You will also encourage students to take action during America Saves Week by opening or adding to an account at a local financial institution.
The following resources are available for teachers who want to incorporate financial education into their curriculum. Resources are also provided for students who want to start their own savings campaigns in their schools and universities.
High Schools
- Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is a nonprofit national career and technical student organization for young men and women in Family and Consumer Sciences Education in public and private school through grade 12.
- The following resources are available from FCCLA Saves and Youth Saves for America Saves Week 2008:
- Also available at the FCCLA Saves website and the Youth Saves website are training materials, marketing and messaging materials, and information on how youth organizations can get involved.
- National Endowment for Financial Education provides NEFE High School Financial Planning Program. A Program About Managing Money That Turns Learning into Action!
Success stories from America Saves Week 2007
- In 2007, FCCLA at Ogden High School in Utah reached 600 students with motivational messages that caused 123 to enroll as a Saver and 101 to add to an existing account or open a new savings account.
Success stories from America Saves Week 2008
- The Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, a youth leadership organization, reached over 10,000 students through events at 86 schools in 28 states during Saves Week. Students pledged to save over half a million dollars, cumulatively.
- In Louisiana for 2008, 16 schools plan to reach over 2,000 students for enrollment and financial action.
Universities
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State, Research, Education and Extension Services provide a guide for extension educators who want to get involved in promoting America Saves Week.
- University Campus Saves Campaigns—Pilot campaigns that are advised by resident faculty and led by students are being planned and implemented on three university campuses for America Saves Week 2008. They are: Kansas State University, Utah State University, and Virginia Tech. The core principals of successful America Saves campaigns that seek to create a savings network to motivate and assist non and low savers to save more effectively are being tailored by the students for implementation in a university setting.
The benefits to student and other university employees include more or new savings, the ability to stretch financial aide dollars farther, less debt, less worry about unexpected expenses, and the formation of good financial habits. Resident faculty can utilize the campaign as a student project, collect data, demonstrate community involvement and positive impact on different university departments, develop material for presentations and journal articles, and participate in a proven national campaign. The campaign can be easily incorporated into the academic year as a student project with multiple components. Campaign activities include:
- Contact university credit unions and community banks.
- Develop a marketing plan and hold a savings event during America Saves Week.
- Hold a student newspaper article contest about the campaign and the importance of saving.
- Conduct a campus survey on debt and saving—both attitude and practice.
- Create a savings competition between university dorms, clubs, etc., with a prize to be awarded during America Saves Week.
- Contact the financial aid office for participation.
- Customize the America Saves marketing material for use on campus.
- Promote the campaign regularly on campus media.