Growth & Jobs | Students sharpen financial literacy skills at summer camp
Published:Tuesday | September 6, 2022 | 12:06 AM
APPROXIMATELY 500 students between the ages of 12 and 17 years were given the opportunity to enhance their knowledge about investment and the different types of investment vehicles, such as stocks, cryptocurrencies and mutual funds, as well as the future of payment systems, at a three-day ‘Building the Junior Investor’ summer camp organised recently by the JN Foundation.
Dejario Dickson, a student of Wolmer’s Boys’ School and a JN scholar, who attended the summer camp, said that the experience was rewarding, as he learnt lifelong lessons about saving, budgeting and investing that will assist him as he gets older.
The key lessons from the camp for the second-form student are how to build generational wealth, as well as the importance of investing early.
“You can start to build your own empire; and when you build on it and when it becomes successful, you can continue a new generation of wealth. All you need to do is start investing from early,” he said.
Meanwhile, one parent lauded the JN Foundation for organising the summer camp, noting that the children have learned a lot from the information shared during the camp.
“It is a brilliant idea and provided an amazing experience for the children. Whoever came up with this idea, thumbs up to them. The idea of educating kids from early to invest, and encouraging them not to squander their money but to be responsible, and inform them that investment is the way to go [is good advice],” said Melanie Guthrie.
Shanna Kaye Wright Vaughn, lead – youth and education programmes at the JN Foundation, said there were over 700 registrants for the summer camp that was held virtually, with approximately 500 children attending on all three days.
“That within itself is tremendous. The JN Foundation is happy to have exposed these secondary students to the fundamentals of financial literacy, underscoring the importance of budgeting and saving. We are happy about the feedback, and that it was a success,” she said.
Wright Vaughn said the intention is to offer the summer camp annually. Six outstanding participants, along with their parents/guardians, were invited to a luncheon and meet-and-greet session, where they met senior managers of the JN Group - JN Bank, JN Fund Managers and MC Systems. They were also given a tour of the JN Bank Half-Way Tree location and got hands-on experience with the JN Smart ATMs and coin machine.
The participants in the summer camp benefited from presentations given by representatives of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, Carib DAO, as well as from JN Group member companies: JN Fund Managers, JN Bank and MC Systems and the JN Foundation.
The summer camp was executed under the JN Foundation BeWi$e Financial Empowerment programme which has, for close to a decade, been bringing financial literacy to Jamaicans through training at various institutions and organisations across Jamaica. The aim is to raise the level of financial literacy and improve money management skills among Jamaicans.