USU Extension Team Wins National Financial Management Award
A team of Utah State University Extension professionals was recently honored with a national award for developing an outstanding financial management program that helps youth make decisions and plan for their present and future financial needs.
Amanda Christensen, Margie Memmott, Stacey MacArthur, Zuri Garcia, Dave Francis, Paul Hill and Sheri Anderson received the 1st Place National and 1st Place Western Regional Dean Don Felker Financial Management Award from the National Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences.
The awards recognize the team’s work with Fidelity Investments on a Teens Reaching Youth (TRY) volunteer program designed to increase financial literacy through a peer-teaching experience. The program utilizes USU Extension 4-H’s statewide reach to engage youth in learning and teaching financial management skills.
“To me, it’s all about teaching youth the skills to help with those everyday decisions and strategies they can use throughout their life,” Memmott said. “If they learn and implement good financial practices now, they will be more likely to use them in the future.”
To date, the TRY program has taught 530 youth from 10 Utah counties. Youth who participate in the TRY program have increased their savings, set spending goals and improved in the understanding of financial concepts such as investing and inflation.
“Youth need to build financial literacy skills so they can avoid the limitations and restrictions that come with debt and other financial burdens later in life,” Christensen said. “The skills needed to master financial literacy, such as self-discipline and decision making, are the same we need to successfully navigate all of life’s opportunities.”
For more information about the TRY program, visit utah4h.org/TRY/. For a free download of the Discover 4-H curriculum, visit utah4h.org/discover4hclubs.
Writer: Shelby Ruud shelby.ruud@usu.edu
Contact: Amanda Christensen amanda.christensen@usu.edu, 801-829-3472
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