Burnaby School District students from grades 8 to 12 will be taking part in the Financial Literacy Student Professional Development Day.

Students representing all Burnaby secondary schools will be attending the conference.

 

WHAT: Student Financial Literacy Professional Development Day

WHEN: April 27, 2015 from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Registration begins at 9:15am. This is a District Professional Development Day in Burnaby. No regular classes are scheduled on this day.

WHERE: Meeting Hall (A206), Burnaby Central Secondary School, 6011 Deer Lake Parkway, Burnaby, BC V5G 0A9

DRESS CODE: As this is a professional conference, we encourage students to dress professionally.   No jeans. No shorts. No flip flops. No leggings.

INTRODUCTION:

Keynote Speakers:

Alphil Guilaran, Founder of the Financial Literacy Counsel, Inc

Patrick Foran, CTV Toronto Consumer Reporter, Author of The Smart, Savvy Young Consumer.

REGISTRATION: Email burnaby.events@gmail.com with the names, grades, and school of those attending. The cost of the conference is $5. This $5 should be paid at the conference registration table. Cheques are payable to “Byrne Creek Secondary”.

Once registered, it is important that you attend. You are holding a space that another student could fill and benefit from. Thank you!

RATIONALE: There is a convincing case for having a conference dedicated to students and to exploring important financial information together.

First of all, according to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, 8 out of 10 young Canadians are not confident in their financial knowledge. Junior Achievement of Manitoba maintains that, “Early financial education encourages positive behaviours and attitudes toward finances that throughout life lead to responsible consumerism, increased savings, reduced debt and smart investments.”

It’s also incredible to note that Canadians have the highest debt to income level in the world’s 7 most advanced economies. For every $100, Canadians owe $63. The average debt per consumer in Vancouver, BC (not including house mortgages) is over $25,000 – higher than the Canadian average. And a Statistics Canada survey revealed that 25% of Canadians have no rainy day savings and no retirement savings at all.

The reasons for this could be expensive living costs. Others criticize high consumer spending. Low average wages in comparison to housing and food costs can also blamed. Surveys point to admitted poor financial management. Whatever the reason, what does this mean for Canadian young people?

We invite all Burnaby students from grades 8 to 12 to investigate the financial world further. Small group sessions cover topics such as hiring insights, saving money, budgeting and debt, business start-ups, business leadership in addition to 5 sessions on the connections between careers and financial literacy with real-world professionals. Lunch will be spent discussing important financial issues with community and business leaders. Certificates will be created for all Burnaby student participants who register and attend.

SCHEDULE TO DATE:

The event is now full, so we hope you have registered already! If you missed out this time, watch for another event next year.