Future-proof finances

In a time when budgets are tight and costs are high, it’s vital that future generations have the skills they need to budget, spend and save well, no matter what life throws at them. We’ve created a huge variety of new resources for children and young adults – from videos to worksheets to games – designed to help them build strong financial understanding to take into their futures.

Since we released the resources late last year, churches across the UK have been using them to run sessions in schools, youth groups and various other settings. Plus, we’re delighted to hear that lots of people are sharing the resources with their own children and grandchildren too.

In Northern Ireland, one of our area managers, Mags Rankin, has been working with a group of students aged 13 to 14:

‘I joined a group of teenagers as part of their ​“Future Ready” programme at a local high school. The programme offers students who struggle to attend or engage at school the chance to gain important life skills, from cooking to car maintenance. We got to cover important parts of the students’ curriculum, and offer them a supportive space to learn vital money management ideas together that they can put to good use throughout their lives.

‘We talked about things like bank statements, the difference between debit and credit cards, and how credit and interest work, so they can start thinking about how they’re spending and saving their money from the moment they get their first job.

‘There were so many lightbulb moments! We had a great discussion about how the students might each save up to pay for driving lessons, and the other costs associated with driving and having a car, such as insurance and repair costs, that they’d not factored in before.

‘It was special to be able to explore these young people’s wants and needs, and learn from one another as we talked about what their futures could look like and what tools they can apply now to help them get there.’

Mags continues, ​‘I’m not any kind of finance expert – you don’t need to be. Without much notice or preparation, I was able to deliver high-quality sessions because the resources are designed for anyone from parents to youth group leaders to be able to pick up and use.

‘I had one student who struggled to engage with their usual lessons, and they found the sessions really interesting! The content is directly related to the real lives of young people, so they can put what they’re learning into practice straight away.’

Naomi Mungroo, a youth leader from Sutton, has been trialling the new resources with her youth group:

‘I’m part of a team that runs the youth group at River Church, which goes from Year 7 to college age. In youth work, you wouldn’t normally look at finances, but it’s a really important conversation to have. Every young person learns different things about money through their family and childhood, so it’s important that we can create a space for young people to share and grow together, especially if you’ve got people in your youth group from a variety of backgrounds.

‘If your youth group spans a big age range like ours, you can combine the resources designed for different ages to make something that works for the whole group. I deliberately focused on the videos, games and visual resources, as for many of the young people, the youth group is a safe, relaxing space, and we’re usually really interactive, playing games and having snacks and there’s some biblical content.

‘I’d recommend using these resources annually as a conversation starter, probably in September as you get a bunch of new Year 7s joining. Those teenage years are so formative, so when you run it again each time, the young people are thinking about the next stage of their lives. And every time, they’re picking up valuable tools, equipping them for their future.’

While almost every child or teenager learns something about money through their family and childhood, less than half (47%) of children receive a meaningful financial education* – that’s millions of young people without access to vital tools that can help them future-proof their lives.

That’s why at CAP (Christians Against Poverty), we’ve released a whole range of money resources to help offer young people a financial education that brings them confidence in managing their money through their teenage years and into adulthood. Resources that are designed for you to be able to use in a church or community youth group, schools or even the young people in your family.

The kids and youth money resources include a variety of videos, interactive games and conversation starters, budget sheets and written content. They cover topics from budgeting to saving to credit, and bring in biblical principles along the way.

What’s unique about these resources is that they provide a shared learning space for young people to explore topics in a safe, non-judgemental way where they are also learning from one another. The resources are adaptable to the setting you’re in, and are designed for anyone to be able to pick up and use, offering tools to young people across the UK.

We know that young people who have been taught about money are more confident about managing their finances, using a bank account and saving money. They’re able to future-proof their finances, building a strong foundation rooted in biblical principles that will help them withstand the storms that may come their way.

Together let’s offer a space for children and young people to learn the crucial money management skills they need to build a future where they can thrive.

Lord, thank you for every teacher, youth leader, parent, guardian or anyone caring for our kids and young people across the UK. I pray that together we might raise a generation that is confident with all things money-related, and who will continue to invest in those that come next, especially those who have very little. Amen.

*Money and Pensions Service, Financial Foundations, based on a survey of 4,740 children aged 7–17.