Anthony recently met with Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) along with the team from Citizens Advice South Hams to learn about the support they offer to local residents.
See below further information about the services they offer:
Money Minds for Children – 5 to 11 years old
Research shows that from the age of 7 children are able to understand the principles of managing money and doing so can create good habits for the future. That’s why YBS thinks it’s incredibly important to deliver their Money Minds programme to children as early as possible, supporting their future financial wellbeing.
For children aged 5-11, they have developed education sessions that can be delivered by colleagues in a classroom or community group setting. Each session has been designed to help children understand everyday financial language as well as tackling fun money-related activities
Money Minds for Young People 11-19 years old
Currently, 25% of young people say most of their financial understanding and knowledge comes from being self-taught, a trend that is likely to be rising through social influencers on platforms like TikTok or Instagram. And, worryingly, young people aged 11-20 now account for 10% of scam victims (Barclays 2021).
YBS have a clear, ongoing role to play to help young people access the financial education they need.
In 2022 YBS expanded their Money Minds programme by taking their support for young people online at ybsmoneyminds.co.uk.
The online platform was the result of intensive research with schools, teachers, students and colleagues. Freely available, the site brings together a whole host of fun and flexible content which has been designed by teachers to meet crucial curriculum standards (England). It’s digital-first and a direct response to the need for relevant materials for older children, aged 11-19, via channels that best suit their learning needs.
Alongside the student-led learning modules, they also created parent/carer and teacher packs. These are full of learning schemes for teacher-led lessons, follow-on activities and at-home discussions points which will boost young people’s learning whilst lifting the stigma that surrounds money and careers.
Money Minds for Adults
YBS has a range of workshops, listed below, that can be delivered to local community groups, businesses and charitable organisations.
CV Writing – Hints and tips to help create a winning CV following loss of employment, a change in career or to support re-employment following a period of time out of work.
Interview Skills – How to succeed at an interview with coaching on interview types, questions and the preparation required to help secure employment.
Fraud & Scams - Information and advice to protect against known fraud and scam tactics, signposting to further advice and support.
Financial Wellbeing - Understand what financial wellbeing is, the factors that may affect financial wellbeing and developing tips and techniques that can help manage money better
Cost of Living – understanding the cost-of-living crisis is and how to support personal finances. Uncover how to manage money, discuss how cost of living is impacting people differently and when to seek further support
Small Change Big Difference and Charitable Foundation
To positively impact Yorkshire Building Society’s members and communities the Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation was established with the ambition to help alleviate poverty, improve health and save lives. The Charitable Foundation works by donating funds of up to £2,000 to UK-registered charities that align with the Charitable Foundations' ambitions.
The foundation is funded by donations from Yorkshire Building Society and members making donations through The Small Change Big Difference® (SCBD). The scheme works by members choosing to donate the annual pence of interest from their accounts. For example, if you earn £10.79 interest in a year on one of your accounts, 79p will be donated to the scheme. The average donation is less than 50p, and the maximum is just 99p per account per year. Every penny donated through SCBD goes directly to local charities recommended by members and colleagues.
Find out more about Yorkshire Building Society's community support here: https://ybscareers.co.uk/life-at-ybs/community-investment