In Autumn 2016, MyBnk became Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group’s (MUFG) charity partner, supporting us to arm over 1,200 students with real-life money and business skills. Angus MacGregor, Chief HR Officer, joined us on the frontline…
“Earlier this month, I decided to sign up to volunteer at MyBnk’s Uni Dosh programme at Highbury Grove Sixth Form. I’d volunteered before with young people, however, I’d never worked with this age group.
Apprehensive at first, but having three teenagers of my own, I was prepared! The students were around 17 years old, just ready to go into university, and the session was aimed to help them understand how to manage their finances and give them tips about saving before they started that journey.
The students were very responsive, thanks in-part to the amazing style of the the MyBnk Education Officer who had captured their mood perfectly and I was able to talk to each and every student.
I offered advice from my own experiences which helped them understand a little more about their future activities. One student was amazed that the operational costs of maintaining a car could be anything up to £12,000 and decided that perhaps it wasn’t a great investment whilst trying to balance their new financial responsibilities.
I felt I was able to add value to the session and really give important insights into the realities of university life. I learnt quite a bit myself, I learnt that a job in a local council library pays around £11 per hour, and that most students from this sixth form are planning to live at home and work two jobs whilst at university!
It was a great session to be a part of; I feel the students gained a lot. Sometimes it’s hard to tell with teenagers, you can often just get a grunt! But I could tell many of the points really landed and gave them something to think about. I really hope these young people succeed at university.
I’m sure I’ll be volunteering with MyBnk again in the near future and I encourage other colleagues from across banking to do so too.”
If you would like us to bring our financial capability and enterprise workshops to your young people, contact info@mybnk.org or if you are interested in supporting our mission, contact nicola@mybnk.org for more information.
