Last September, schools across Quebec added a new mandatory two credit course in financial literacy to the Secondary 5 (Grade 11) curriculum for high school students. The course aims to address issues such as credit scores, loans, making a budget and signing a cell phone contract.

Étienne Bédard a Department Head at Lauren Hill Academy, an English-language public school in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, decided to supplement the new course with ABC Money Matters workshops. When asked why, Bédard responded, “due to the content of the material in the new course, I thought it would be beneficial for the students to hear from professionals from within the industry who could provide hands-on and practical examples from the financial world.”

Money Matters, a free introductory financial literacy program that helps learners take control of their finances, was developed by ABC Life Literacy Canada with the support of founding sponsor TD Bank Group. Volunteer tutors from TD deliver the program to learners across Canada.

“The volunteers were great,” continued Bédard, commenting on the TD volunteer-tutors that delivered the program at the school “they engaged the students, who were 16-17 years old, with information that they did not have before, and kept their attention by making it relevant to them.”

The students worked through two of the four Money Matters modules learning about banking basics and savings. The many different approaches to saving money prompted interesting discussion among the group.

Bédard was particularly pleased with the flow of the workshops, the clear language and especially the adaptability of the program. He stated that he would like to continue to include the Money Matters workshops as an enhancement to his financial literacy course.

To book a Money Matters workshop in your community, or to access free resources, visit ABCMoneyMatters.ca.