MoneyWi$e: It’s fun to learn at the YMCA

Consumer Action’s Audrey Perrott led a training last month for a group of women at San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point YMCA using the MoneyWi$e “Manage Your Money Wisely” educational module. The training materials were developed through Consumer Action’s financial literacy partnership with Capital One in order to provide community-based organizations like the local YMCA with the tools they need to help clients and community members achieve greater financial literacy.

The Bayview Hunters Point YMCA provides youth enrichment programs, workforce development initiatives and supportive services to local residents.

“It is always a pleasure to facilitate financial education trainings for the residents of Bayview-Hunters Point and to see them become more empowered to take charge of their finances,” Perrott said. “Bayview has a history of being one of the lowest-income neighborhoods within San Francisco, which is why I commend the local YMCA for all of the innovative programs and initiatives they’ve designed to meet the economic, emotional and overall health needs of this often marginalized community.”

Bayview Hunters Point YMCA community outreach manager Lynetta Demus added, “The training was helpful for me personally as well as for the group members. The case study activities were engaging and caused the participants to begin a conversation on how to manage money wisely and develop strategies to increase income and eliminate debt.”

The training covered how to budget, how to reduce spending, ideas to generate income or free up funds within the family budget, how to save more, how to set financial goals, how to best invest your money and how to select insurance.

The attendees were able to work through the case studies contained in a lesson plan designed to help them consider their own money management strategies as well as brainstorm ways to generate income collectively. Perrott provided group members with budget and goal-setting worksheets and encouraged them to discuss some of their personal goals, which ranged from saving for retirement and children’s college funds to reducing debt.

Consumer Action collaborates with our network of nearly 7,000 partners to educate consumers across the country using MoneyWi$e educational courses, which consumers can access for free here. Additional, past courses and webinars may be viewed on Consumer Action’s YouTube channel. For more information on the MoneyWi$e project, click here.