PEWAUKEE, Wis., Aug. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Governor Jim Doyle, proclaiming the 2007-2008 school year the strongest ever for personal finance education, is applauding Wisconsin credit unions for the “teen savvy” personal finance program the not-for-profit financial institutions are providing free to teachers and students at all 603 of the state’s public high schools this fall. The brass|STUDENT PROGRAM is a personal finance initiative that promotes responsible financial management to high school students through the lifestyle money magazine brass, produced for young adults by young adults.
“Credit unions are not only giving public high school teachers statewide a free, effective tool to help students achieve state standards for personal financial literacy, but a ‘cool read’ young people will look forward to receiving that can inspire them to save regularly, use credit wisely and recognize money as a tool that can help them build the kind of future they envision,” the Governor’s proclamation states.
The magazine’s appeal stems from its young adult focus. For example, feature articles about a young hip-hop violinist and fashion designer showcase how career choices affect financial lifestyle as well as how to finance a business. An article about Sirius satellite radio — which features program hosts like Lance Armstrong, Tony Hawk and 50 Cent — itemized company characteristics an investor would want to analyze before buying stock. A story about extreme sports — like BMX stunt biking — noted the cost of a commitment to such pursuits.
“Teachers clamor for resources — especially free ones — that can sustain student interest the way brass can,” the proclamation says. “And students want a fun way to learn about things like credit scores and investment rollovers; brass makes financial learning relevant by showing how young people are using money to achieve success.”
brass received rave reviews from students in New York state, the first and only other statewide public school system to use the credit union-sponsored program. The Student Program includes free online teaching resources — including classroom activities based on state teaching standards — and credit union scholarships for students.
Credit unions are sponsoring the program to extend financial education to younger people as part of their statewide REAL Solutions initiative, whose aim is to build financially healthy families and communities regardless of profit. As not-for-profit institutions, credit unions exist to serve members, not make profits.
brass|MEDIA Inc. is a multimedia company that produces brass|MAGAZINE, a young adult lifestyle money magazine, and the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM which reaches out to high school students about the money side of life(TM). Read by hundreds of thousands of young adults across the nation, brass content is written for young adults, by young adults.
Credit unions are cooperative financial institutions that are owned by their members and do not have stockholders. Because they are not-for-profit, they return earnings to members in the form of more competitive rates of return on accounts, lower interest on loans, lower fees and improved services. Around 2.1 million Wisconsin residents belong to credit unions, of which nearly half are open to the local community. People can find a credit union to join by looking in the phone book or by visiting http://www.creditunion.coop/.
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Source: Wisconsin Credit Union League
