Our recent Money Matters workshop, delivered at a local school to year 9 students, aimed to boost financial confidence and understanding among participants. Using pre- and post-session surveys, we measured improvements in knowledge across key topics: Budgeting, Saving, Debt Management, and Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) schemes.
Impact at a Glance
- Budgeting: “Good” ratings jumped from 9 to 23, with no one rating themselves “Poor” after the session.
- Saving: “Good” doubled from 13 to 25; zero participants felt “Poor” afterwards.
- Debt: “Good” tripled from 6 to 18, while “Poor” fell from 5 to 3.
- BNPL: “Good” increased from 9 to 20, and “Poor” dropped from 9 to just 1.
Key takeaway: Every topic saw a significant improvement, with “Good” ratings often doubling and “Poor” ratings nearly disappearing. This demonstrates the workshop’s strong impact on financial literacy.
Participant Experience
Enjoyment was rated on a four-point scale, and the results speak for themselves:
- “I didn’t enjoy it”: 0
- “It was ok”: 13
- “I enjoyed it”: 13
- “It was really good”: 7
100% of participants found the session at least acceptable, and 61% said they enjoyed it or found it really good. Feedback included enthusiastic comments like “It was really good”, showing high satisfaction.
What Participants Said
Open-ended feedback revealed powerful themes:
- Scam Awareness: Learning how to spot and avoid scams was a major highlight.
- Saving & Wise Spending: Improved understanding of saving and spending wisely.
- Budgeting Clarity: Several participants gained confidence in managing budgets.
- BNPL Awareness: Better grasp of modern financial concepts like “buy now, pay later”.
- Empowerment: Increased confidence and appreciation for financial education.
Looking Ahead
- Continue and Expand: We are committed to building on the success of the workshop by extending our outreach to a wider audience of schools. Our goal is to connect with more educational institutions, ensuring that as many students as possible benefit from essential financial education. By focusing our efforts on schools, we aim to equip young people with the knowledge and skills they need to manage their finances confidently and responsibly, strengthening financial wellbeing among the next generation.
- Keep It Interactive: Feedback clearly shows that interactive, practical activities have the greatest impact. Therefore, we will continue to prioritise hands-on, engaging sessions that encourage active participation and real-life problem-solving. This approach enables participants to practise what they learn, ask questions in real time, and apply financial concepts to their everyday lives, making the learning experience both effective and memorable.
Why It Matters
The workshop didn’t just teach—it empowered. Participants left with practical tools to manage money, avoid scams, and make informed decisions. This is financial education that changes lives.
The Money Matters workshop delivered clear educational benefits and high participant satisfaction—providing excellent value and making a strong case for continued investment in financial education initiatives.
