"Talk With Our Kids About Money" Program to Expand Across Canada

Scotiabank's continued support enables CFEE to expand program into the Territories.

TORONTO, Nov. 30, 2017 /CNW/ - Hundreds of thousands of young Canadians, from coast to coast to coast, will be honing their money skills and their financial education again in 2018, as they participate in "Talk With Our Kids About Money" (TWOKAM), an educational program, created by the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education (CFEE) and supported by Scotiabank.

The TWOKAM program runs all year long, but the big day of celebration is "Talk with Our Kids About Money Day", on April 18, 2018. For the first time, the TWOKAM program will include the Territories ? Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon ?joining all Canadian provinces.

TWOKAM 2018 is officially being launched at the culmination of Financial Literacy Month in Canada. Starting now and running through to April 18 and beyond, some of the many TWOKAM activities will include:

• Schools across the country hosting money fairs, special events and in-classroom discussions about money  
• Municipal, provincial and federal legislatures hosting TWOKAM events and issuing proclamations
• Parents and guardians having money talks with their kids to generate momentum and create awareness about "Talk With Our Kids About Money Day"

The TWOKAM program started in 2013 as a pilot in Toronto and Montreal area schools. Over the years, it has expanded to include schools and homes right across Canada as educators, parents and guardians recognized the importance of designating one day each year, the third Wednesday in April, to talk about money with their kids. In 2017, Manitoba became the first province to officially participate as a full Partner in TWOKAM.

Talking about money is the first step to improving financial capability and enabling young Canadians to undertake their financial decisions and actions with confidence and competence.

CFEE has built a comprehensive website ? www.talkwithourkidsaboutmoney.com ? that provides parents, guardians, and teachers with the resources they need to have money talks with kids.

In 2017, over 5,500 schools and nearly 650,000 young people across Canada participated in the program.

Highlights of the TWOKAM School Program:
Teachers are provided with easy-to-use lesson plans that are cross-curricular and make it easy for them to integrate money topics into a broad range of subject areas including social studies, math, science, environmental studies, music, and art. In addition, the program offers:

• A Money Fair Guide showcasing highlights of student learning gained through program participation
• Group discussion and debate ideas
• Resources and interactive tools for teachers
• Links to background material on financial literacy and research results

Highlights of the TWOKAM Parent Program:
Free online access to fun and engaging activities that offer easy opportunities for parents and guardians to talk about money with their children, engage their curiosity and stimulate questions that lead to learning. Resources are organized by the child's age range. The program also provides:

• A wide variety of activities including movies to watch, books to read, songs to listen to, crafts to make, local trips to take, and more
• Helpful links and resources for parents, including a variety of articles offering different views on allowances

Quotes
"With its unique Home and School programs, TWOKAM addresses exactly the stated financial learning needs of young people as reflected in recent global and domestic surveys," said Gary Rabbior, President of CFEE. "The OECD recently surveyed 15-year-olds from countries around the world, including Canada, and determined that the two key financial capability factors for youth were if kids learned about money in school and if they had money discussions with parents at home. CFEE's own survey of 6,000 students across the country mirrored those of the OECD," concluded Rabbior.

"Scotiabank aims to support organizations that are committed to helping young people reach their infinite potential," said Jacquie Ryan, Vice President of Sponsorship & Philanthropy at Scotiabank. "We believe this is an investment in the long-term security, stability and growth of our communities. That's why we are proud to support Canadian Foundation for Economic Education with their educational program, Talk With Our Kids About Money. Young people are our future leaders and Scotiabank's goal is to help ensure that they have the necessary skills and resources they need to support their success."

"Ensuring our children have a good financial education allows them to become financially capable adults ? it's good for them, their families and ultimately, our economy," said Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister. "We believe the 'Talk With Our Kids About Money' program helps provide teachers and parents with the tools they need to have money talks with their kids and get a jump start on their financial education. We are pleased to become the first province to officially partner with CFEE on this program and encourage other provinces to join the effort".

About CFEE
CFEE is a federally chartered, non-profit, non-partisan organization, founded in 1974, that works to improve economic and financial literacy and enterprising capability. CFEE works collaboratively with ministries and departments of education along with school boards, schools, educators, and teacher associations. CFEE also engages in activities to support and assist newcomers and past immigrants to Canada, and the general public including print resources, videos, workshops, and online resources. Overall, CFEE aspires to help Canadians of all ages be better prepared to undertake their economic roles, responsibilities, and decisions with confidence and competence.

About Scotiabank
At Scotiabank, we aim to support organizations that are committed to helping young people reach their infinite potential. Young people are our future leaders and Scotiabank's goal is to help ensure that they have the necessary skills and resources they need to support their success. Together with our employees, the Bank supports causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2017, Scotiabank contributed more than $80 million to help our communities around the world.

Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 24 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 88,000 employees and assets of over $915 billion (as at October 31, 2017), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @Scotiabank.

SOURCE Scotiabank