(CALGARY) 6 March 2017 – After getting robbed by an at-risk youth, a student at Simon Fraser University was inspired to help other disadvantaged young adults by empowering them to work toward a financially-secure future. Similarly, the Enactus team at Okanagan College believed that by instilling financial literacy concepts in elementary school students, upon graduation they would be better equipped to deal with the overwhelming realities of adulthood.
Enactus Simon Fraser University and Enactus Okanagan College have been named 2017 Capital One Financial Education Challenge Regional Champions by Canada’s largest experiential learning platform, Enactus Canada, and program supporter Capital One Canada.
Enactus Simon Fraser’s Count On Me is an 8-week workshop targeting 15-19 year-old young mothers and at-risk youth. It focuses on budgeting, goal setting, banking, resume building, and healthy cooking. By instilling healthy eating habits, participants learn how to lead a healthy lifestyle on a budget. Count On Me has helped young mothers save $36 a week through better meal preparation, with government cheques lasting 2.75 weeks longer. Since 2016, 90 youth have been directly impacted through Count On Me.
Using a simulated economy, Enactus Okanagan’s six-week CANSave program teaches elementary school students the fundamentals of financial literacy including budgeting, saving for the future and helping others in need. Since January 2016, CANSave has impacted over 6,000 grade 1-3 students in 91 communities across Canada, with 98 per cent of students successfully completing the program.
“Through this challenge, we’ve seen first-hand how Enactus student-entrepreneurs are helping to turn Canadians’ goals and dreams into reality by sharing skills, knowledge, and most importantly the tools they need to make smart financial decisions,” said Brian LoBalbo, Director, Capital One Canada. “At Capital One, we are fiercely committed to helping Canadians succeed by opening up possibilities to understand how to manage their money.”
The Capital One Financial Education Challenge is a national competition empowering post-secondary students to develop and deliver projects that teach relevant financial skills. Since 2012, this challenge has engaged 6,316 students across the country, resulting in 620 financial education outreach projects, and directly impacting the financial futures of 69,826 people.
Student teams demonstrated the impact of their financial education projects to panels of business executives on March 3 in Calgary as part of the Enactus Canada Regional Exposition – Western Canada.
“Financial literacy is an issue affecting many Canadians,” said Nicole Almond, President of Enactus Canada. “Through this challenge, Enactus students provide people in need with the knowledge, skills and confidence to make responsible financial decisions.”
Enactus Simon Fraser University and Enactus Okanagan College students will now move on to the national level of competition taking place May 9-11 at the 2017 Enactus Canada National Exposition in Vancouver.
ABOUT ENACTUS CANADA: Enactus Canada, the country’s largest post-secondary experiential learning platform, is shaping entrepreneurial leaders who are passionate about advancing the economic, social and environmental health of Canada. Guided by academic advisors and business experts, more than 2,734 entrepreneurial post-secondary students led 280 community empowerment projects and business ventures last year in communities coast to coast. As a global network of 36 countries, Enactus uses the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world. For more information, visit enactus.ca.
ABOUT CAPITAL ONE: With offices in Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo and Montreal, Capital One Canada has been offering Canadian consumers a range of competitive Mastercard credit cards since 1996. We challenge ourselves to see the world through the eyes of our customers, so we can deliver the market-leading credit products and exceptional service they’re looking for. Capital One Canada is a division of Capital One Bank, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation of McLean, Virginia (NYSE: COF). Capital One is committed to investing in youth in our communities through program investment and the skills and dedication of our talented associates. To learn more visit: www.capitalone.ca/enactus
Media Inquiries:
Jennifer Falzon
Director, Marketing & Strategic Growth, Enactus Canada
jen@enactus.ca | 416.304.1566 x222 | 416.315.2099