Hundreds of teenagers benefitted from potentially life-changing financial advice at an event designed to help them navigate the next stages of their education and career journeys. The Step Up Expo, in collaboration with the Evening Standard, hosted over 5,000 attendees, including students, parents, and teachers. Experts from Finance, Technology, Business, and Higher Education sectors shared their knowledge and advice with thousands of teenagers on the brink of making key transitions.
MyBnk ran a highly energetic and interactive Money Olympics competition in partnership with the global investment company, abrdn. Games such as Financial Jargon Sprint, Payslip Relay, Target Salaries, and The Budget House helped teenagers tackle complex topics like financial terminology, payslip information, salary averages, costs of independent living, and budgeting in an engaging and enjoyable manner. One attendee, a 15-year-old girl, remarked, “The games were so fun, I didn’t even realise that I was learning so much about money!”
MyBnk is at the forefront of advocating for financial education to be included in the national curriculum and is deeply involved in broader efforts to address social and economic issues affecting young people, including financial exclusion, youth unemployment, and the care system.
Leon Ward, MyBnk CEO, stated, “Financial education is notably absent from the school curriculum, making financial literacy a vital focus for MyBnk. We understand the importance of financial knowledge for future well-being and believe that everyone can achieve it with the right tools. By partnering with organisations like abrdn, we are committed to empowering young people to attain financial literacy.”
Our research shows that two out of five young adults are not financially literate, and the majority do not remember learning about money in school. Here at Step Up, both MyBnk and abrdn have demonstrated that financial education can be both engaging and fun.
The Step Up Expo and MyBnk’s Money Olympics supported by abrdn exemplify how collaborative efforts can create impactful educational experiences for young people. By making financial literacy accessible and enjoyable, initiatives like these pave the way for a generation of financially savvy individuals. As we continue to push for financial education to become a staple in the national curriculum, the success of events like the Step Up Expo serves as a reminder of the positive change that informed and empowered young people can bring to society.
More on our partnership with abrdn
abrdn’s partnership with MyBnk began in 2022 with initial funding supporting the delivery of existing money-management workshops to young adults over a three-year period. The workshops include an exploration of household finance. abrdn’s funding is also supporting a bespoke research series focused on financial empowerment. As our partnership grew, the abrdn Charitable Foundation awarded further funding to support the launch of MyBnk’s Money House, a financial education programme aimed at preventing youth homelessness, in Manchester.
Read more about our impactful partnership here
