Financial Health Fair
Many families struggle to make ends meet.  While there are several reasons for this (public policy, joblessness and economic conditions, etc.), there are ways that individuals can take better control of their finances to make their money work for them.  As students learn about Personal Financial Literacy (Unit 2 in the Economic section), they will share that information with their community through the creation of a student-run Financial Health Fair.  Students will learn about and create workshops based on various topics such as:  banking basics, maintaining good credit, understanding federal benefits, managing debt, and paying for college.  Students should be encouraged to survey their peers, parents, and neighbors to make the Fair as relevant as possible to the specific needs of their community.  Students will be responsible for all aspects of planning the event: securing space, creating and disseminating promotional materials, creating presentations, securing additional outside speakers, creating a budget for the event, fundraising, and evaluating the final product.  As this concept progresses, year-after-year, students can tackle more difficult topics such as starting a small business, taking out a loan, steering clear of predatory lending, and/or buying a home.