Having completed the course I am now more confident in my ability to teach others and have already organised my first event for MOAT residents.

In early March, we organised a ‘Money Advice and Fun Day’ where over 40 information and advice agencies came together to offer money advice and community support workshops. To help relieve the stresses that can sometimes be associated with money problems we also offered reiki and massage therapies.

On the day, I used the skills I developed from Teach Others to run a ‘Saving energy, Saving Money’ workshop, highlighting how residents can make financial savings by being more energy wise and aware. The day was attended by over 400 people and was a great success in raising awareness of our residents to the issues of money management and allowing them easy access to money advice. It was the first of its kind for MOAT and showed the power of partnerships in working together to provide advice and information in a stress-free environment.

At MOAT we see it as being critically important to promote accessibility to money advice for residents in these difficult economic times. I look forward to using my new skills in other ways for more residents in the future.

Colin Tanner, MOAT’s Community Development Officer

The workshops have been attended by a variety of people – from those with mental health problems to those with debt problems. We cover topics on prioritising, budgeting, managing debt and where to find help if you are in financial difficulty. During these sessions, we discuss the benefits of identifying needs from your wants, understanding why it is important to pay off certain obligations first, aiming to use cash whenever possible and weekly vs. monthly budget sheets. There have been some interesting and occasionally passionate discussions as people share their experiences on using these tools.

Money for Life is a fantastic programme because it is wide in its reach but tailored in its application. It has been personally rewarding to leave a session knowing that seeds have been planted in people’s minds which, if watered, could make a positive difference in their lives.

Kwaku Osafo, Lloyds Banking Group

The idea of sharing my knowledge with the students from a more socially and economically deprived background in society is something that massively appeals to me. When I saw the Money for Life programme, I immediately signed up and since then have gone on to deliver sessions at Longley Park Sixth Form College in Sheffield.

I contacted Gail Stonier, Director of teaching and learning at the college to ask if they had any specific requirements and she bit my hand off! I’d worked with 16 to 18 year olds before in a social setting – coaching them at my local sports clubs – but I’d never done any work in a more formal environment, so was a little apprehensive. I needn’t have worried though as the training material provided as part of the Teach Others course and by Toynbee Hall was excellent.

I’ve now delivered to two different groups. One group was made up of young people on a level 1 vocational programme many of whom have complex/individual needs and I thoroughly enjoyed talking to them about banks, cards, money and how it all works. I even made up a game around the Olympics, which kept them interested!

My other group was a 2^nd Yr Level 3 group about to head off to university and I gave them an insight into what their financial challenges would be. We discussed the consequences of debt and how it can be a worrying concept for all of us – but I made sure I highlighted the various options available, specifically the fact that over 20% of grants that are available go unclaimed, mainly due to people not knowing they exist! I know that group came out of the session feeling a little more comfortable that they could manage their finances and still follow their career aims.

I’ve been thoroughly excited by the whole scheme and I, for one, can’t wait for my next session to help spread some knowledge of money and finance into the community

Being involved in the Money for Life Challenge has really made me think about money in a different way and it has made me eager to find out more about how to manage my finances. Before I started this Challenge, money was not an area that I thought about in any depth. We have all learned so much from our project and it has made me determined to learn more and have the skills and confidence to inform others.

When I found out about the two courses supported by Money for Life, ‘Teach Me’ and ‘Teach Others’, I was delighted and I think they are a great opportunity to take our ‘Pounds Pence and Common Sense’ project forward in a sustainable manner.

I am excited to take part in these courses and be in the position where I can engage with others in an informative and useful way, providing guidance and information about money management, an area that affects so many aspects of our lives. After the courses, I hope to run sessions in secondary schools with senior pupils about to make the transition to university.

For many students, college is the first stage on the path to independent living. This is an exciting time for young people but often they are not prepared for the financial aspects of leaving home. Financial mistakes made at this time in life can have detrimental effects for years to come. Knowing how to avoid these problems is the key to beating them. Thankfully the opportunity to take part in the ‘Teach Me’ and ‘Teach Others’ courses will help me to prepare my students for making the right decisions to ensure they stay on the right track with money!

East Londoners had the chance to get jewellery, clothes and even bikes repaired – while Katy Thorpe was on hand with Toynbee Hall’s Tanya Spence to give advice and guidance on how to be a savvy shopper.

Complete with their very own fully-stocked supermarket shelves, Katy and Tanya helped would-be money saving experts to spot own-brand bargains and work out when a deal really is too good to be true. Tanya and Katy even put their money where their mouth is and got stuck into a taste test with members of the local community to find the best biscuit buys out there!

Katy completed the ‘Teach Others’ financial capability course last year and is now working with Toynbee Hall to find more opportunities to run workshops in community organisations and charities around London. She says: “As soon as I heard about Money for Life I knew I wanted to get involved, and the ‘Teach Others’ course has really helped me to find interesting ways to put my financial knowledge to good use in the community. Taking part in the Bring and Fix event was incredibly rewarding, and I definitely learned as much from the people who came along as they did from me.”

The Bring and Fix event was such a success that it’s set to become a regular fixture in Toynbee Hall’s calendar, so look out for more quirky money saving sessions soon.

1. The Weakest Link event – Banbride Campus, Tuesday 6th March 2012

This project is based on the popular TV show, ‘The Weakest Link’. The challenge is for students to be quizzed on financial capability and money management with the aim to bank as much money as possible. The game show will take place on Tuesday 6th March in the Banbridge Campus with the support of Liz Hudson (Public Services) who will be acting as our very own Anne Robinson.

2. Trends For Less – Lurgan Campus, Thursday 8th March 2012

This project is based on the popular TV series, “Gok Wan’s Fashion Fix”. We will showcase a series of outfit options – one being on a low budget and the other on a high budget. The event will take place in the Lurgan Campus on Thursday 8th March. The audience will vote on which they prefer. This project will encourage students to appreciate good buys and where to shop for them.

3. Financial Monopoly – Newry Campus, Friday 9th March 2012

This project will see students make a number of significant financial decisions as they play Monopoly on a supersized board! Students will have to make sound financial decisions or face going bankrupt!

4. Money Saving Website launch – Armagh Campus, Monday 12th March 2012

The Armagh team are designing a new money saving website for students. The Creative Team have begun working on the website design and designed leaflets and promotional materials to advertise their idea. The Education Team have begun to write PowerPoint presentations and outline advice forums for when the website goes live. Finally the Administration team are developing a marketing strategy that will research the needs of the students they aim to target. Local speakers will be invited to attend.

5. Student Saving Supermarket Sweep – Portadown Campus, Monday 12th March from 11am to 1pm

Takeaway food, designer clothes and a hectic social life eating away at your funds? Portadown Campus is holding a fun, fast-paced Lifestyle Supermarket Sweep designed to challenge students’ spending habits and get them thinking about budgeting. Mini shops will be set up to represent everything students splurge their hard-earned cash on. Each participant will be given fake money and invited to spend what they would in an average week in each shop. This will be a fun, interactive way to get them challenging their own personal spending habits. Tips and tricks on how to cut back will be available on site, alongside practical money advice from our SRC finance professionals.

Come and take part in one of these events and help us make it to the Money for Life Challenge UK Grand Final in London on Wednesday 23rd May 2012!

If you’d like an update on your team’s progress posted on the Money for Life Challenge blog, please send it to moneyforlife@bluerubicon.com

We are not promoting any of these borrowing options – the main objective is to make sure that when people decide to borrow money they shop around just like they do when shopping for clothes and are able make an informed choice. We particularly want to highlight the extremely high interest rates charged by payday loan companies as we feel they are very unethical and take advantage of vulnerable people.

As part of our Money for Life Challenge project we will be giving presentations to class groups in the college and setting up an information stall outside our refectory at lunch times where we’ll talk to students and provide them with information about various methods of borrowing.

We’ve made it through the first stage of the competition and secured a grant of £500 to make our project happen. If we are lucky enough to get short-listed for the National Final in March, we then have a chance of going through to the Money for Life Challenge UK Grand Final on 23 May in London. We are keen to get your support for our project and will be asking you to vote for us once the project is complete. More details to follow…

If you’d like an update on your team’s progress posted on the Money for Life Challenge blog, please send it to moneyforlife@bluerubicon.com

You might ask why this is important. Well, the more you publicise your project within your local community, the more media attention it will give you and therefore the more likely you are to get votes for your project in the end!

How can you achieve this?

• Did you know that generating social media interest is part of how your project will be judged? Examples of using social media include posting blog entries, status updates, pictures and videos of your project on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube. You can then share your content with as many people and organisations as you can. Don’t forget to tag others in your posts and use the Twitter hashtag: #moneyforlifeuk. And if you make a video to share on YouTube, remember that at the end of your film you should ask those watching to “Vote for us!” – this will remind people to cast their vote for your project.

• Think about other ways in which you could generate interest in your project. For example, consider newspapers, TV and radio stations that you can contact in your local area. For more information on how to approach such media outlets, please refer to your grant recipient packs.

• Does your college or organisation have a Public Relations department that you could approach? If so this could be a very useful resource to help you get the word out.

• Press releases: these are small snapshots about your projects that you send to journalists to let them know about the exciting event that you are participating in. There are two types of press release:

1. One that you send out before the event to generate interest and ensure the community is aware of your project
2. One that you send after the event, informing the media about how successful your event was

Remember to include the best pictures that you might have taken – but always make sure you get permission from the people in the pictures before you share them with journalists.

• Follow up with any media outlets you have spoken to and sell sell sell your project! Talk about who you’re aiming the project at and how that would affect your local community in a positive and stimulating way. This might seem a bit nerve-racking at first so make sure that you get some practice in with your team and project sponsor by preparing questions that you might be asked. Don’t forget, enthusiasm is the key when publicising your project!

For more information and examples of how to go about publicising your Money for Life Challenge project, please refer to the grant recipient pack sent to your project sponsor – it’s full of great tips on how to get the word out on your project.

Good luck!

Warda Abdi

Money for Life Project Worker, Toynbee Hall

Remember, you now have just over one week left to submit your application for the Money for Life Challenge – the closing date is Friday 24 February.

We were delighted that our efforts caught the attention of the BBC. Our group facilitator, Zoe Nisbet, was invited into appear on John Beattie’s lunch time show on BBC Radio Scotland on 22nd February. Zoe Nisbet talked about our project and what we hoped to achieve through our radio shows. We see our efforts as the start of a financial educational journey. We are happy our group co-ordinator is undertaking two financial courses and will be in dialogue with schools and universities to get financial management skills more embedded in schools.

You can listen to the interview here: The John Beattie Show, BBC Radio Scotland 22.02.12

‘Pounds Pence and Common Sense’ team – Challenge update: 21^st February

We had a very informative show on the 16^th February. Fergus Muirhead also set our team a money challenge called the ‘Moneysucks Monthly Challenge’. Some of the Pounds Pence and Common Sense team agreed to take part and promised to record everything they spend in the next month. Please visit Fergus Muirhead’s web page to keep up to date with our progress.

We will be providing weekly blogs about our spending and how we are finding the monthly challenge. We are excited but nervous about what we are going to discover. Fergus Muirhead will come back to the studio and we will host an extra ‘Pounds Pence and Common Sense’ radio show all about this process.

‘Pounds Pence and Common Sense’ team – Challenge update: 15th February 2012

The ‘Pounds Pence and Common Sense’ team is extremely excited to have BBC money management expert and financial advisor, Fergus Muirhead, at the studio this Thursday (16th February). He will be answering questions and telling us all about how to create a budget and how to stick to it! It should be a very interesting and informative show.

Our other shows have been going exceedingly well. We were set a healthy living challenge by the Health and Well Being Officer of Renfrewshire Council, who gave us an imaginary budget of £20 to spend. This money had to keep us, plus a flatmate, for a week. We found this task hard but Carolynne, the Health and Well Being Officer, gave us some wonderful tips and came up with an amazing menu for a week, showing us that it is possible. She shared top tips that will really help us when we move away from home too.

‘Pounds Pence and Common Sense’
Money for Life Challenge team in Scotland

If you’d like an update on your team’s progress posted on the Money for Life Challenge blog, please send it to moneyforlife@bluerubicon.com.