2008 Financial Literacy Grant Recipients

Albert Park Flexible Learning Centre
Brisbane QLD
4Rs: Responsive, Reallocation of Resources for Rewards

Built on a unique learning environment where students work with the teachers to achieve their personal learning goals, Albert Park Flexible Learning Centre has been awarded a Financial Literacy Grant for its 4Rs program, ‘Responsive, Reallocation of Resources for Rewards’. Each student in the program will create their own financial literacy profile according to their personal learning goals. They will then go on to undertake a combination of practical, theoretical and online activities such as creating budgets and savings plans. Through the program, students will be able to make the connection between their behaviour, their current financial situation and their financial objectives.

Brisbane School of Distance Education
West End QLD
It’s Your Money

Brisbane School of Distance Education was awarded a Financial Literacy Grant for ‘It’s Your Money’, an online learning module, studied in a virtual classroom by Year 9 distance learning students. The program will include themes such as earning and spending an income, keeping personal financial records and saving, borrowing and investing money. The unit takes a unique approach to learning by providing ready access to online lessons, interactive activities and the opportunity for group collaboration in a virtual classroom setting. It is ideal for students who are geographically isolated, have a medical condition, travelling or based overseas.

Calen District State College
Calen QLD
Budgeting Your Way to Success

The ‘Budgeting Your Way to Success’ program is set to  improve the financial literacy skills of Year 10 students at Calen District State College, in the small rural community of Calen. The program is designed to help translate theoretical knowledge into real-life understanding of financial situations. Through the program students will be able to make informed decisions about how to manage money at home – like working out the budget. A key outcome of the program is that students will be able to communicate their decisions to others and make informed suggestions based on sound knowledge.

 
Earnshaw State College
Banyo QLD
Earn it, Save it, Spend it

‘Earn it, Save it, Spend it’ is a unit of work which will give Year 10 Business students at Earnshaw State College the financial skills to manage money earned from a simulated part-time job. The program, made possible by the Financial Literacy Grant, gives each student a “part-time job”, complete with a breakdown of their average weekly pay and expenses. Using this information, students will need to make decisions on how to allocate their budget by working out, for example, the best mobile phone plan for their circumstances or which extra-curricular activities to be involved in. They will also need to consider general savings plans and how they will deal with changes to their personal circumstances, like redundancy, sickness and unexpected bills.

Forest Lake College
Forest Lake QLD
Paying Dividends

Forest Lake College received a Financial Literacy Grant for ‘Paying Dividends’, a business-style conference  for Year 11 Business students designed to build on the financial literacy skills they have developed throughout Years 9 and 10. The conference will invite a number of speakers from the region to discuss topics relevant to life after formal education. This includes taxation, entrepreneurship and money management. The conference will simulate a real-life business conference and will require students to dress in smart business attire, complete registration and create conference packs.

 
Holland Park State High School
Holland Park QLD
Canteen Capers

Holland Park State High School will use its Financial Literacy Grant for the program ‘Canteen Capers’. Canteen Capers will see Year 10 students complete a period of rostered duty in the school canteen, which will bring to life the in-class curriculum of running a small business. This unit includes budgeting, ordering, food preparation, waste disposal, rosters, salaries and income tax. Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate financial responsibility, learn to manage their personal financial resources and experience the management of a small business in a risk-free and supervised environment.

Kepnock State High School
Bundaberg QLD
iEarn, i$pend, i$ave = iManage My Technology Wants and Needs

Kepnock State High School was awarded a Financial Literacy Grant for its program ‘iEarn, i$pend, i$ave’, which addresses financial considerations for students craving the latest gadgets and gizmos. The unit will teach students to make the most appropriate technology choice for their budget, and ask them to develop a financial literacy package explaining what they have learned to other students. This project will teach students to make informed choices when spending their money and the importance of not living beyond their means.

 
Loganlea State High School
Loganlea QLD
Winangali Yarralâ (to know about money) - Knowledge House Financial Literacy program

Knowledge House was founded by Loganlea High School to address the very specific learning needs of the Indigenous community in Logan, which works by spreading learning and knowledge out into the local community via their students. The ‘Winangali Yarralâ (to know about money)’ financial literacy program has been developed for senior students at the centre who are entering into tertiary study or taking on traineeships and apprenticeships. The students and general community will learn crucial financial literacy skills, like basic budgeting and superannuation to managing phone bills, while maintaining respect for their cultural connections and family and community obligations.

 
Mansfield State High
Mansfield QLD
Business Adventures - Introducing the Mansfield Bank

Since its inception in 2003, the Mansfield State High enterprise program Business Adventures, has used business ventures to help students to develop their financial literacy skills and introduce them to their current and future roles of consumer, employee, entrepreneur and business professional. In 2008, ‘Business Adventures - Introducing the Mansfield Bank’, will continue to expand upon the realistic approach of this program by creating an actual online banking system for students to allow them to  manage their deposits, withdrawals, bank statements and budgeting.

 
Marsden State High School
Waterford West QLD
Financial Skills for the Future (Certificate I in Financial Services)

Marsden State High School was awarded a Financial Literacy Grant for its program ‘Financial Skills for the Future’. The program has been designed to educate Year 10 students on their future financial responsibilities and how to most effectively manage them, such as budgeting and the responsible use of credit. At completion of the course, students will also have earned a nationally recognised VET qualification, Certificate 1 in Financial Services, which will improve their chances of securing future employment.

 
Monto State High School
Monto QLD
Year 10 Agriculture Business at Local Markets Selling Fresh Produce

Monto State High School is located in the rural grazing town of Monto, 500km north-west of Brisbane. Monto has experienced a steady decline in population due the closure of many large agricultural operations, which has forced migration to the city regions. In a bid to re-invigorate the business and agricultural skills of Year 10 students, Monto will use its Financial Literacy Grant to create a fresh produce business. The business will require students to grow their own produce and sell it at the local markets on a monthly basis. Students will be responsible for collecting produce, organising the stalls and keeping accurate financial records.

 
Mount Gravatt Special School
Mount Gravatt QLD
Café Program

‘Café Program’ is an enterprise-based financial literacy program developed by Mount Gravatt Special School for its intellectually disabled intermediate and senior students. In this unit students will be responsible for all aspects of the café operation, from face-to-face customer service and use of the till, to pricing, ordering stock and calculating and tracking profits. This program aims to give students a hands-on understanding of the skills required to run a small business, as well as improve their general financial literacy proficiency.

 
Palm Beach Currumbin SHS
Gold Coast QLD
An Athlete’s Guide to Financial Fitness

One third of the students who attend Palm Beach Currumbin SHS participate in sports excellence programs and are striving to become professional athletes. As a result, many of the students will be offered comparatively high income contracts for their age – but which may be at risk over the long term. ‘An Athlete’s Guide to Financial Fitness’ is an initiative targeted at Year 10 students which will fund them to create an intranet site and DVD around the major financial management issues facing young athletes today. This resource will then be made available to other students to help them plan for their own future, on and off the sporting field.

                                             
Pine Rivers Special School
Lawnton QLD
Money: The Reward for Hard Work

Pine Rivers Special School has been awarded a Financial Literacy Grant for its unit, ‘Money: The Reward for Hard Work’. At present, the students are involved in one of three work education programs which develop the necessary skills for a productive post-school life – a café, horticulture and packaging enterprise. To further enrich these programs, the school will use their grant to embed a financial literacy component that will give students the chance to complete financial transactions within the school community and therefore gain an understanding of the link between money and work.

 
Runcorn State High School
Runcorn QLD
PIG:  Pre-vocational mathematics investing in future Generations

‘PIG:  Pre-vocational mathematics investing in future Generations’ is an online financial literacy program developed by Runcorn State High School to improve the financial skills and confidence of a group of students who are venturing into the workforce for the first time. The teaching units will cover five key areas, such as superannuation, working with awards, tax, investment strategies and budgeting. The project will be run online to give students flexibility in their study and ongoing access to up-to-date, relevant information.

Sandgate District State High School
Deagon QLD
Expanding Your Financial Horizons

Sandgate District High School received a Financial Literacy Grant for its module, ‘Expanding Your Financial Horizons’. In this program Year 10 students will be exposed to a number of different financial topics, such as how to manage money, money alternatives and influences on the consumer purchase process. In addition to the theoretical aspects, students will also engage in practical exercises such as a field trip to the local shopping centre to engage in price comparison activities and in-class analysis of sales catalogues. Upon completion, students will have a deeper understanding of how to use their money more effectively and efficiently to achieve future financial goals.

St John's School
Roma QLD
Money Matters: Securing a Financial Future

St John’s School, located in the small rural town of Roma, has designed a financial literacy program which teaches students responsibility for their money and ensures they have the necessary knowledge for a successful financial future. ‘Money Matters: Securing a Financial Future’ looks at a range of financial situations which students will experience at various life stages, like moving out of home, going to university, owning a home, having children and paying bills.

Yeronga State High School
Moorooka QLD
Managing Money in Australia

Yeronga State High School is a multicultural school with a high proportion of students from refugee backgrounds. ‘Managing Money in Australia’ is a financial resource for newly arrived immigrants to Australia, created by a small group of students. The resource will cover all the topics required to set up a financially secure life in Australia, such as banking, renting, phone plans, loans, consumer awareness and budgeting.