Empower Federal Credit Union stepped up to make remote learning in the wake of COVID 19 easier. Thanks to their sponsorship, more than 71,962 students and teachers at 132 schools in Central New York have free access to Banzai, an award-winning online financial literacy program and content library of articles, calculators and coaches. All these resources are available to students at home or in the classroom via any device that can access the internet.
“Teaching financial literacy to middle school students with the help of Empower Federal Credit Union has been a wonderful hands-on experience for the students,” said Chittenango Central School District teacher Roberta Mou. “Empower presenter Cheryl Welles provides students with real-life experience through her site. The Banzai Life Scenarios online program then helps the students use this knowledge in a simulation of how finances work in the real world.
“The Banzai ‘game’ is the students’ favorite part of Banzai, as they make the decisions about how they spend their money and if they can manage to save their money to get into college.”
“Banzai is a web-based financial literacy program,” said Banzai co-founder Morgan Vandagriff. “Kids get their own accounts, and they work through assignments that are based on real life. Because Empower Federal Credit Union is sponsoring it, local schools get it for free. More than ever, it’s important that kids develop sound financial skills to prepare them for the real world; Empower Federal Credit Union realizes that, and they’re doing something about it.”
Banzai content builds a foundation of practical knowledge and gives students the tools to create a sound financial future. While students learn, teachers can easily monitor and grade their progress remotely. After finishing Banzai, students will know how to track where their money is and what it’s for, recognize financial trade-offs, build a budget and more.
At a time when many are facing unprecedented financial challenges, these lessons are invaluable. The Banzai resources are available at empower.teachbanzai.com.
“The partnership with Empower Federal Credit Union and Banzai has been incredible,” said Empower Financial Education Officer Cheryl Johnson Welles. “Together, we have been able to provide outstanding financial education for youth in our community. By investing time, money and industry experience, we can truly make a difference in the financial lives of so many young people.”
Teachers interested in using the Banzai program can visit empower.teachbanzai.com or call 888.8BANZAI; for more information about Banzai, visit banzai.org. For more information about Empower Federal Credit Union visit empowerfcu.com.