26 October 2021

Banca Generali and FEduF: sustainability and financial education for the citizens of the future

How can we prepare young people to be economically aware and sustainable citizens? 

This is the question we asked ourselves during Financial Education Month, to which we responded with "Un Salvadanaio per Amico", the educational initiative we devised and promoted in collaboration with the FEduF (Fondazione per l'Educazione Finanziaria e al Risparmio) throughout Italy to bring primary school students closer to the themes of savings and sustainability.

Financial Education: the value of money and responsible management

The meeting, which is part of the school curriculum and lasts approximately 90 minutes, encourages children to reflect on the value of money and the need to manage it responsibly for themselves and the community, with a view to conscious citizenship.

Alongside the theme of the value of savings, children are helped to think about the theme of sustainability, starting with the daily and personal actions that each of us can take, thus promoting "good practices" of sustainable development that create added value and preserve resources for future generations.

Finance explained to children through play

Before or after the meeting, children can make piggy banks using recycled materials (e.g. plastic bottles, boxes, decorations from clothes that are no longer usable, etc.).

Once made, the piggy banks should be photographed and sent to scuola@feduf.it, together with a slogan or thought on the theme of sustainability, saving and protecting natural resources. All entries will be published on www.economiascuola.it.

All participating teachers will also be sent a copy of the book Fables and Money, which can offer useful ideas for strengthening pupils' economic citizenship skills, and a copy for each child of our booklet designed for them with the concepts of finance and sustainability.

Deputy CEO Marco Bernardi comments

"We are delighted to renew our commitment to FEduF with a project that aims to bring the youngest children closer to the key concepts of savings and sustainability. As a private bank that is attentive to the assets of Italian families, we are aware of how important it is today to educate the new generations on economic issues in order to bridge the gap with other countries, where we are still too far behind in the world rankings of financial education. We strongly believe that it is necessary to start working with young people today in order to lay the foundations for a future in which savings and sustainability represent two central guidelines for Italian society".