Wednesday, May 05, 2010
1:41 PM
The Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) recognized April as Financial Literacy Month by offering a variety of educational workshops and seminars to students across the state.
FAME offered a total of thirty financial literacy and financial aid-related events in April for students ranging from fourth grade to adult learners, despite the fact that one of those weeks involved school vacation. Serving over 2,000 students, FAME:
• Held thirty-nine “Get A Life” financial literacy game sessions involving 885 students;
• Participated in four college fairs, with approximately 1,035 students attending;
• Conducted a FAFSA-completion computer lab for adult students; and
• Offered six financial aid information sessions – two for adult education students; one for college students; three for high school students – at which a total of 147 students attended.
In 2000, The Jumpstart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy began promoting April as Financial Literacy for Youth Month. In 2003, the United States Senate designated April as Financial Literacy for Youth Month, and in March 2004 the Senate officially recognized April as National Financial Literacy Month.
“Maine’s Financial Literacy Month was a great success. FAME was happy to offer a variety of innovative financial literacy workshops and educational seminars to help Maine students prepare for strong and responsible financial futures,” stated FAME Chief Executive Officer Beth Bordowitz. “FAME looks forward to actively participating in the upcoming financial literacy summit and consumer protection conference, as well.”
FAME is also excited to introduce “Cash” and “Max,” the cartoon stars of FAME’s new elementary school financial literacy curriculum. According to FAME Default Prevention Specialist Mary Dyer, the characters were created to encourage career and college exploration and to introduce money management concepts. FAME recently released its new Money Management Tool Kit, designed to provide valuable money management information to high school, college and adult students. Along with the new publications, a money management section was recently added to the FAME Web site.
A financial literacy summit for Maine teachers, administrators, counselors and others, “Fostering Financial Literacy in Maine Schools: Best Practices, Innovative Approaches,” will be held at the Augusta Civic Center on May 7, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. FAME helped plan the summit and will be presenting at the event, which is designed to help Maine students and youth understand the basics of earning, saving, spending and investing money.
For more information on Friday’s summit, please visit: http://www.state.me.us/education/documents/FLSmarketing1.pdf
Additionally, a free consumer protection conference sponsored by The New England Consumer Advisory Group (NESCAG) at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and the Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection will be offered Tuesday, May 11, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the University of Maine Augusta’s Jewett Hall.
The event will feature a variety of speakers, topics, free handouts, and light refreshments. The topics include: Smart Credit Card Usage; The Secrets of Auto Buying and Financing; Understanding Student Loans (FAME to present); How Bank Debit Cards Work; Elder Financial Protection; Identity Theft; and Saving Your Home from Foreclosure.
For more information on the conference, please visit: http://www.maine.gov/pfr/consumercredit/events.htm