The North Carolina Young Bankers will once again be hosting the Bankers in Schools program in fall of 2021! This week-long program allows schools from across the state to invite bankers in their communities to visit classrooms virtually and teach a 45-minute lesson on budgeting. Volunteers are trained and guided using a thorough curriculum, and will come prepared to teach the unique and engaging activity, designed specifically for high-school aged students. Bankers in North Carolina are invited to participate regardless of age!
Want to learn more? The NCYB held a complimentary Coffee & Connect networking event surrounding the 2020 Bankers in Schools initiative and financial literacy efforts! Click here to view the full recording.
According to the World Bank, just 57% of U.S. adults are financially literate. The NCYB are committed to changing that statistic, and it starts in our local schools. The formation of the NCYB was first announced by the North Carolina Bankers Association in late 2015 as a way for young bankers to become engaged in their communities as industry advocates. One of the primary missions of the organization is to promote financial literacy in North Carolina’s youth to help the next generation make smart fiscal decisions. The NCYB is involved in a variety of efforts to raise awareness and spread this important knowledge, and the latest initiative will bring us one step closer to reaching that goal.
“The Bankers in Schools program was an incredibly fun and applicable way to introduce our students to the basics of financial education. The students were all very motivated, and really enjoyed the guest speakers and their presentation.”
– Teacher at Cary High, Cary, NC
“Financial literacy is a passion of mine and Bankers in Schools has provided me an outlet to share that passion with others. Financial literacy has yet to take-hold as a standard curriculum item and yet it is something that everyone, regardless of their station in life, will need to understand and embrace throughout their life. Bringing bankers and students together to discuss such an important topic is not only impactful in the present, but also for the future as it gives us, the bankers, the opportunity to start developing a relationship between our industry and future bankers, clients, and consumers of our products. Here in the Triangle, particularly Wake County, it has also given me a chance to give something back to the community that formed the basis of my educational and professional career. Go Stallions, Blue Jackets, Caps!”
– Corey Simpson, Paragon Bank
- How to do I submit lesson requests?
To submit a lesson request, please fill out this form by the due date in order to be considered for this initiative. Each region will have 30 openings, and these will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. - Do I need to request sign-ups for the entire week?
No! You only need to request sign-ups for days and times that are convenient for your class schedule and for the classes which would benefit from this lesson. - Am I guaranteed that all slots for my school will be filled?
Unfortunately, this is a volunteer effort so we cannot guarantee that all sign-ups will receive volunteers. We do our best though to get as close to 100% of our slots filled as possible! It is important to note that if you have been approved for several classes, we cannot guarantee that all classes will be filled or that the same volunteers will register for all of your classes. If some of the classes don’t have volunteers register, we will provide teachers with the curriculum so that the students can still experience the lesson. - What happens once I submit my sign-up requests?
Once you submit your completed form, you will be notified on whether your school has been chosen to participate in this program. Your school will be listed on this website once volunteer registration goes live. If volunteers register for your class slot, Brianna Reeder will then connect you to your banker volunteers.
- Who prepares the curriculum materials?
Due to COVID-19, the 2020 Bankers in Schools program will be held virtually. All teachers will receive the curriculum, and they are responsible for sending the items to their students. The game board is fillable, so no student will have to worry about printing the materials.
- Do I assist the volunteers with the lesson?
You are certainly welcome to! This lesson is might to be highly interactive and encourage discussion between students and the adults. This is a great time to talk students through goals, career ideas, higher education opportunities and more! - Who is responsible for securing time on the virtual platform for the Bankers in Schools lesson?
The teachers will be responsible for sending the login information to the banker volunteers, as well as answering any additional questions regarding their particular virtual software. -
Are there any limitations to what virtual platform is used?
Some banker volunteers might have security issues with your virtual platform. However, many times the banker volunteer can ask their IT department to fix the security for that day, or the banker volunteer can utilize their personal laptop for the presentation. It will be up to the teacher and the banker volunteer to work those details out.
- I’m interested in participating, but don’t see my county represented. Why’s that?
Due to the large amount of requests in previous years, we have had to limit how many sign-up slots we offer. If you don’t see your county listed, it is because they either chose to not participate or we weren’t able to grant their request this year. However, each major area of North Carolina is represented, so we hope you can find a school nearby to volunteer at! - I’m interested in participating, but I’m not a member of the NCYB division and I don’t fall within that age range. Can I still volunteer?
Yes, we welcome all North Carolina bankers to participate in this initiative! You do not have to be a member of the NCYB to participate. - How do I get in touch with the teacher once I have registered?
Once all volunteer slots have been signed up for a particular class, Brianna Reeder will then connect the banker volunteers to the teacher and provide all training materials. - Who prepares the curriculum materials?
Due to COVID-19, the 2020 Bankers in Schools program will be held virtually. All teachers will receive the curriculum, and they are responsible for sending the items to their students. The game board is fillable, so no student will have to worry about printing the materials.
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Who is responsible for securing time on the virtual platform for the Bankers in Schools lesson?
The teachers will be responsible for sending the login information to the banker volunteers, as well as answering any additional questions regarding their particular virtual software. -
If my bank has security blocks for certain virtual platforms, can I use my mobile phone or personal laptop to conduct my session?
Yes! -
What if I don’t have a peer to volunteer with?You can register as just yourself! Usually another individual will register for the session as well, and you can teach the class solo depending on your comfort level.
Once volunteers have signed up for a slot at a school, they will be connected with the school contact. Volunteers will be sent the curriculum beforehand, and will receive information from the school covering virtual platform, login information and any additional information that the volunteer might need.
View the training presentation which explains how to facilitate the Dollar Decisions game and Budgets 101 lesson. Please note that the presentation contains audio – click the speaker icon on each slide to hear the instructions.
- Bankers in Schools PowerPoint Presentation – Part 1
- Bankers in Schools PowerPoint Presentation – Part 2
All curriculum and materials for day-of can be found below:
- Budgets 101 Lesson Plan
- NCYB Dollar Decisions Board
- Bankers in Schools Curriculum – Supplemental material to Dollar Decisions
We have a new opportunity this year – Teleflex! They are opening this program up to children of their employees throughout the country. If you’d like to participate in the program outside of the state, select “United States Signup.” If you’d like to participate within North Carolina, please select the signup link that corresponds to your region (see map below):
Want to learn more? The NCYB recently held a complimentary Coffee & Connect networking event surrounding Bankers in Schools and financial literacy efforts! View the full recording below:
Questions?
For questions, or to sign your school up for Bankers in Schools, please contact Blair Kennedy at the North Carolina Bankers Association at (919) 781-7979 or bkennedy@ncbankers.org.