A WOMAN'S BRIDGE

Financial Literacy

5/26/2010

0 Comments

 
Last week I had a meeting with Sarah Bahl and Courtney Piper (Founder/President and Director of Finances, respectively). They explained that A Woman's Bridge, in partnership with ARCH, will be starting a financial literacy program next month. This got me thinking about our approach to financial education in this country, and about my own financial training.

I only remember two things from grade school: a budget is important, as is how to write a check. My parents were the ones who taught me about banks, and I've had a savings account since I was about 8 years old. But other than these things, I have very little background in terms of financial literacy.

I have met people in the past who knew even less than I do. These people, both young and old, were unsure of how banks worked or how to use an ATM card. These things are basic; I would gather that many do not come close to understanding more complicated matters, such as responsible investing. And that is probably what got all of us, as Americans, in the financial crisis that we're in right now. But that is another matter and a whole other debate.

Curious, I decided to look up statistics to see if my friends and I are alone in our financial ignorance. According to the Networks Financial Institute at Indiana State University , we're not. According to NFI, "only a quarter of Americans feel well informed about managing household finances" and about 25 to 56 million Americans do not have a bank account. What's even scarier is that in 2003, 25% of those surveyed said that they did not have anything saved for retirement.

As far as education goes, most teenagers (71%) get their information from their parents, but "based on a national survey of high school seniors, America's teenagers as a group in 2004 score a failing grade in basic financial literacy knowledge". I am actually a member of that group, and this, unfortunately, does not surprise me.

Maybe it's that finances and economics can be intimidating, or that people don't like to think about money and would rather just spend it. I don't know. What I do know is that it is important that people have access to programs (whether it's school children or retirees) that can at least explain the basics. That's what A Woman's Bridge is trying to do.

For more information, keep an eye on awomansbridge.org. You can also visit mymoney.gov
for information and resources.
0 Comments

Why We Do This #2 - Bullying

5/5/2010

0 Comments

 
People can just be plain mean. I'm sure many people have experienced bullying at some point in time, but with advancements in technology and widespread adoption of the Internet, cyberbullying has become a factor. And, in some cases, bullying can drive someone over the edge.

In October 2006, Megan Meier, a thirteen year-old from Missouri, took her own life after her adult neighbor, Lori Drew, harassed her on MySpace. Drew pretended to be a boy and told her that 'the world would be better off without her'.


Drewwas only convicted on misdemeanor charges.


Cyberbullying was only a part of what pushed Phoebe Prince, a fifteen year-old Irish girl who moved to Massachusetts, to commit suicide this past January, as her peers harassed her both in person and via Facebook.


Regardless of the severity of the reaction, bullying is a real problem, and there are new tools for bullies to use. But there is some hope.

The Girl Scouts Research Institute released a study in 2009 entitled, Good Intentions: The Beliefs and Values of Teens and Tweens Today, which shows the following statistics:


  • when forwarded an embarrassing email about a classmate, 44% of those surveyed would delete the email and not forward it
  • an additional 40% responded that they would tell the friend who forwarded it to them that they were wrong
  • girls (46%) are more likely than boys (35%) to stand up to the offending friend
  • only 6% would forward the email

It is only a small comfort that the statistics show that teens are opposed to cyberbullying. The fact of the matter is, it still happens. That is why mentoring programs need to be available to both young men and women in order to provide support.

The Girl Scouts have put together age-appropriate tips for how to work with girls who are dealing with bullying issues. You can also find their study here.

Cheers,

Jill
0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    March 2013
    December 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010

    Categories

    All
    Art
    Bullying
    Cooking
    Cyberbullying
    Daughters
    Diaper Bank
    Domestic Violence
    Education
    Family
    Finance
    Food
    Georgia
    Health Care
    Homelessness
    Hotline Contact Information
    Human Trafficking
    Miro Kang
    Moms
    Nursing
    Nutrition
    Religion
    Russia
    Sarah Weldon
    Self Esteem
    Shelter House
    Sports
    Title IX
    Who-we-are
    Why We Do This