Hello from Beyond the Bank!
It is a bit rainy here in Southern California, but that's not stopping us from our class!!
Last night was Banking, and it was also Marissa's official debut as our Financial Instructor! The topic we covered was Banking; types of banks we can access, and what do these institutions offer the public.
We first opened the floor for questions from previous lessons. The TAY had some clarifying questions with different subjects (credit, consumer rights, etc), which sparked different conversations in the class. We felt the different conversations were great, since they were all learning moments for the students, but we were also afraid we wouldn't have enough time to cover the actual Banking topic. We wrapped up the side topics and dove right into Banking.
The conversations happened with mixed enthusiasm. There was a lot of things going on with the students, and it's understandable why. First, the students are approaching the end of their program with the Right Way Foundation. It has been about 3 months since they started, so we can see how some of the students might feel a bit tired. Also, there were some students in the class last night who already knew a lot of the subject matter. It could have been a bad situation when the students who did know about some banking might have lost complete interest. Thankfully, we saw that as an opportunity to have the students answer some questions for their peers, thereby making them the default instructors. Conversations were kept alive, and the students left with many takeaways.
Unfortunately, we didn't have a camera for the evening... so we can't post any pictures from last night's class. But please stay tuned for next week (when we'll definitely have some pictures).
Friday, February 28, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
Consumer Rights
Hello again from Beyond the Bank.
Last night's lecture was all about consumer rights. We wanted to cover specific subjects that would help the TAY protect themselves from various financial predators. The subjects would cover things like questions to consider when opening accounts, getting a loan (predatory lending) and what to do with debt collectors.
Because the TAY and the USC undergraduates are so close in age, the instructors knew this lecture was going to be useful for both of the groups. Both groups of students are just starting off their careers and with that come the responsibilities of shopping around for different financial services and banks. Where should I start? What should I look out for? What can I do to protect myself? These are the exact questions the Financial Instructors wanted to answer when introducing this topic.
Unfortunately, some of the students have fallen prey to some predatory lending, and the instructors wanted to direct them to some agencies that could help the situation. Students asked relevant questions, and the USC undergraduates shared their knowledge and best practices when looking out for "deals" that could potentially hurt them.
Thanks for checking in again with Beyond the Bank! Next week we are going to cover Banking, which will be taught by Marissa. This is her first time teaching the class solo, and we know it's going to be a great session!
Last night's lecture was all about consumer rights. We wanted to cover specific subjects that would help the TAY protect themselves from various financial predators. The subjects would cover things like questions to consider when opening accounts, getting a loan (predatory lending) and what to do with debt collectors.
Because the TAY and the USC undergraduates are so close in age, the instructors knew this lecture was going to be useful for both of the groups. Both groups of students are just starting off their careers and with that come the responsibilities of shopping around for different financial services and banks. Where should I start? What should I look out for? What can I do to protect myself? These are the exact questions the Financial Instructors wanted to answer when introducing this topic.
Unfortunately, some of the students have fallen prey to some predatory lending, and the instructors wanted to direct them to some agencies that could help the situation. Students asked relevant questions, and the USC undergraduates shared their knowledge and best practices when looking out for "deals" that could potentially hurt them.
Thanks for checking in again with Beyond the Bank! Next week we are going to cover Banking, which will be taught by Marissa. This is her first time teaching the class solo, and we know it's going to be a great session!
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| Daniel and Marissa going over Consumer Rights |
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| Small group discussing what to look out for when |
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| All the small groups talking about what they just learned |
Friday, February 14, 2014
Credit with a full house
Happy Valentine's Day!! We hope your day is filled with love on this Hallmark-y day!
Last night at Beyond the Bank we covered credit, and this time it was a full house. I noticed as we continue with this program, we are gaining more and more students. This cycle, at capacity, we have about 30 students from the Right Way, and last night we were at capacity. Students filled the vast majority of our chairs and each one of them were so engaged in our credit conversation.
As you all remember from our previous cycle, all but 3 students attended our credit lecture because the rest of the class attended a job fair that evening. Because this information is so vital to many of the youth in the course, all of them were really engaged in the conversation. A few asked about credit card fraud. Some asked about credit repair. And some wanted clarification about the differences between a credit cards and debit cards. At the end of the class last night, many of the TAY walked away with information they otherwise would have received much later in their lives.
The conversation with the Financial Instructor could have continued throughout the entire class period, but we wanted the USC undergraduates to conduct their small-group discussions; we felt the TAY would benefit more from the small group settings and ask their personal information within that intimate environment.
The USC students picked up where our instructor left off, and the class continued to run smoothly.
Next week is a special occasion for us. Not only are we going to cover consumer rights, but it is also the first time our newest financial instructor, Marissa, will be conducting the class with Daniel. Here's to new beginnings next week! See you all there!
Last night at Beyond the Bank we covered credit, and this time it was a full house. I noticed as we continue with this program, we are gaining more and more students. This cycle, at capacity, we have about 30 students from the Right Way, and last night we were at capacity. Students filled the vast majority of our chairs and each one of them were so engaged in our credit conversation.
As you all remember from our previous cycle, all but 3 students attended our credit lecture because the rest of the class attended a job fair that evening. Because this information is so vital to many of the youth in the course, all of them were really engaged in the conversation. A few asked about credit card fraud. Some asked about credit repair. And some wanted clarification about the differences between a credit cards and debit cards. At the end of the class last night, many of the TAY walked away with information they otherwise would have received much later in their lives.
The conversation with the Financial Instructor could have continued throughout the entire class period, but we wanted the USC undergraduates to conduct their small-group discussions; we felt the TAY would benefit more from the small group settings and ask their personal information within that intimate environment.
The USC students picked up where our instructor left off, and the class continued to run smoothly.
Next week is a special occasion for us. Not only are we going to cover consumer rights, but it is also the first time our newest financial instructor, Marissa, will be conducting the class with Daniel. Here's to new beginnings next week! See you all there!
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| Daniel leading the class on Credit |
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| Credit presentation under our Potencial value |
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| One of the USC students leading a small-group discussion |
Friday, February 7, 2014
Beyond the Bank Round 3
Hello and Happy New Year from Beyond the Bank!!
It has been a couple of months since our last post, and I'm excited to announce our new round of Beyond the Bank!!
Very similar to our last round (which you can find here), we are going to continue to have the Financial Instructors teach the first half of the class and then have the USC undergraduates finish us off by conducting small-group discussions with the Right Way students.
This cycle we had to rearrange some of our topics to fit different schedules. For now, this is our final schedule of topics!
It has been a couple of months since our last post, and I'm excited to announce our new round of Beyond the Bank!!
Very similar to our last round (which you can find here), we are going to continue to have the Financial Instructors teach the first half of the class and then have the USC undergraduates finish us off by conducting small-group discussions with the Right Way students.
This cycle we had to rearrange some of our topics to fit different schedules. For now, this is our final schedule of topics!
Date
|
Class
|
2/6
|
Intro/Budgeting
|
2/13
|
Credit
|
2/20
|
Consumer Rights
|
2/27
|
Banking
|
3/6
|
Saving
|
3/13
|
Investing
|
3/20
|
Wrap-up/Grad.
|
It's another packed schedule, and we are excited to see how each class turns out!! With this set schedule, the Cap Group and LIFT-LA are working close together to figure out which topics can formerly be in our curriculum. With USC's help, we are going to create a stable curriculum so future courses can benefit what we have learned in our classes.
Now, let's talk about the class last night! Like the second round, Aaron kicked-off our class by asking the students a simple question: "If you had a choice between taking $100,000 today or accepting a single penny today and then having that penny double every day for 30 days, which would you select?" And just like the last round, the students were engaged in answering questions and talking about budgeting and saving.
The USC undergraduates interacted well with the students. The Financial Instructors were clear and concise. Overall, it was a successful night!!
Stay tuned for next's week course! We look forward to seeing you there!
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| Break out sessions with the USC students |
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| Students creating budgets for their every day lives |
Friday, November 8, 2013
Graduation Ceremony for Round 2
Hello from Beyond the Bank!
Where to start where to start...
It was a wonderful class and graduation ceremony last night. It was a packed house and we couldn't have been happier about the event.
The class started off with the Financial Instructors opening the floor for any questions. Because most of the students weren't able to attend our class last week, most of the questions circled around consumer credit. As always the Financial Instructors were answering questions that were a bit more technical for the USC students. There was a ton of excitement in the air, especially after one of the students gave us her testimony to the group.
One of the students said after her first class with us, which covered budgeting, she was inspired to save up her money and really monitor her spending. Throughout the 7 weeks she has been with us, she was able to save enough money to buy her own car! She was so thrilled to finally own her own car that she wanted to share her experience with the entire class. After a wonderful testimony from this student, we felt it was time we segue into our graduation ceremony where the TAY would receive their gifts!
As a reminder, in the first Beyond the Bank program we wanted to give the TAY students gifts if they demonstrated a strong attendance record with our training. Unfortunately, we weren't able to obtain enough funding to purchase any gifts. This time around we were able to secure some funding which allowed us to give each of the graduating TAY a $25 gift card to Target (to purchase some professional clothing as they go off to job interviews), a certificate made by JEP USC program and some USC memorabilia. On top of that, we offered LIFT-LA services to each of the TAY. Throughout the training sessions many of the TAY have developed certain dreams and aspirations for their financial health. We know our Advocates would be more than happy to assist the TAY on their journey even after the class has ended. Our goal is to continue the assistance the TAY need even after their time with the Right Way has ended.
LIFT-LA has scheduled appointments with some of the TAY, and we look forward to working with them towards their goals!
Before we dive into the pictures, I want to say what a wonderful second round this was of Beyond the Bank. This was the first time we tried out our new format, and it worked out amazingly well! The Financial Instructors felt more of use, the USC undergraduates felt more connected to the TAY, and the TAY received stellar information from the curriculum. A HUGE thank you to the Right Way Foundation, the USC Joint Educational Project and the Capital Group for working with LIFT-LA to deliver this course. Every single partner played a huge role in making this a huge success, and we're so excited for the next round of Beyond the Bank.
Now here are some pictures from last night's festivities! We'll see you next year when we kick-off our Beyond the Bank Round 3 in February 2014!
Where to start where to start...
It was a wonderful class and graduation ceremony last night. It was a packed house and we couldn't have been happier about the event.
The class started off with the Financial Instructors opening the floor for any questions. Because most of the students weren't able to attend our class last week, most of the questions circled around consumer credit. As always the Financial Instructors were answering questions that were a bit more technical for the USC students. There was a ton of excitement in the air, especially after one of the students gave us her testimony to the group.
One of the students said after her first class with us, which covered budgeting, she was inspired to save up her money and really monitor her spending. Throughout the 7 weeks she has been with us, she was able to save enough money to buy her own car! She was so thrilled to finally own her own car that she wanted to share her experience with the entire class. After a wonderful testimony from this student, we felt it was time we segue into our graduation ceremony where the TAY would receive their gifts!
As a reminder, in the first Beyond the Bank program we wanted to give the TAY students gifts if they demonstrated a strong attendance record with our training. Unfortunately, we weren't able to obtain enough funding to purchase any gifts. This time around we were able to secure some funding which allowed us to give each of the graduating TAY a $25 gift card to Target (to purchase some professional clothing as they go off to job interviews), a certificate made by JEP USC program and some USC memorabilia. On top of that, we offered LIFT-LA services to each of the TAY. Throughout the training sessions many of the TAY have developed certain dreams and aspirations for their financial health. We know our Advocates would be more than happy to assist the TAY on their journey even after the class has ended. Our goal is to continue the assistance the TAY need even after their time with the Right Way has ended.
LIFT-LA has scheduled appointments with some of the TAY, and we look forward to working with them towards their goals!
Before we dive into the pictures, I want to say what a wonderful second round this was of Beyond the Bank. This was the first time we tried out our new format, and it worked out amazingly well! The Financial Instructors felt more of use, the USC undergraduates felt more connected to the TAY, and the TAY received stellar information from the curriculum. A HUGE thank you to the Right Way Foundation, the USC Joint Educational Project and the Capital Group for working with LIFT-LA to deliver this course. Every single partner played a huge role in making this a huge success, and we're so excited for the next round of Beyond the Bank.
Now here are some pictures from last night's festivities! We'll see you next year when we kick-off our Beyond the Bank Round 3 in February 2014!
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| Class intently listening to the Financial Instructors' closing remarks |
 |
| Students and USC undergrads soaking in information |
Friday, November 1, 2013
Consumer Credit
Happy Halloween from Beyond the Bank!!
Last night's session focused around Consumer Credit. Now that the students have a solid foundation on our previous topics (budgeting, saving, investing, consumer protection, etc), we wanted our last topic to focus on a subject many of the TAY have been either building or re-building since they turned 18.
Unfortunately, credit card fraud and stolen identities are normal among the TAY community. Because their paperwork is constantly being passed, they are prime targets for criminals to steal their identities, which will then cause them to "commit" credit card fraud under their names. In fact, one of the students has claimed there is a person in Arizona using her name to buy a home. With such vital information being used, it was important for the TAY to attend this session.
But alas, the Universe (or Fate, or whoever controls this vast place we call Earth), had other plans last night. Last night a large number of the TAY attended a job fair with other TAY within Los Angeles. There, the students were eager hopefuls to various entry-level jobs throughout Los Angeles. With that said, the instructors, USC undergraduates and LIFT all understood that their priority had shifted for that night alone.
However, it wasn't a complete loss! We had 3 TAY still attend our class, so we made the best of it. It definitely was a more intimate class, but that just made the conversation a bit more lively. The three 3 students were engaged and felt comfortable enough to share some personal stories of their credit history and how some of them are determined to work on re-building their credit.
Despite the class having only 3 students last night, it was still a fruitful conversation. Next week we will conducting a wrap-up session focusing on any last-minute questions. Also, the USC JEP program was kind enough to let us use their space for next week's graduation!
Stay tuned for next week's last class of Beyond the Bank Round 2!
Last night's session focused around Consumer Credit. Now that the students have a solid foundation on our previous topics (budgeting, saving, investing, consumer protection, etc), we wanted our last topic to focus on a subject many of the TAY have been either building or re-building since they turned 18.
Unfortunately, credit card fraud and stolen identities are normal among the TAY community. Because their paperwork is constantly being passed, they are prime targets for criminals to steal their identities, which will then cause them to "commit" credit card fraud under their names. In fact, one of the students has claimed there is a person in Arizona using her name to buy a home. With such vital information being used, it was important for the TAY to attend this session.
But alas, the Universe (or Fate, or whoever controls this vast place we call Earth), had other plans last night. Last night a large number of the TAY attended a job fair with other TAY within Los Angeles. There, the students were eager hopefuls to various entry-level jobs throughout Los Angeles. With that said, the instructors, USC undergraduates and LIFT all understood that their priority had shifted for that night alone.
However, it wasn't a complete loss! We had 3 TAY still attend our class, so we made the best of it. It definitely was a more intimate class, but that just made the conversation a bit more lively. The three 3 students were engaged and felt comfortable enough to share some personal stories of their credit history and how some of them are determined to work on re-building their credit.
Despite the class having only 3 students last night, it was still a fruitful conversation. Next week we will conducting a wrap-up session focusing on any last-minute questions. Also, the USC JEP program was kind enough to let us use their space for next week's graduation!
Stay tuned for next week's last class of Beyond the Bank Round 2!
Friday, October 25, 2013
Saving and Investing pt 2
Hello again!
With another week down we are that much closer to our graduation date. But we'll save the reflective entry for the last post!
This week, we discussed Investing. As said in our previous entry, the students were really engaged in Savings and they were all so excited for the next section, investing. The students haven't really been exposed to investing other than the portrayals constructed by the media, so naturally there were a ton of clarifying questions for the financial instructor.
The information was dense, and the students came up with even more questions than they had in the beginning of the class. The instructor and the USC students answered as many questions as they could with the allotted time, and before we knew it the class had ended.
After the students left our class, it was clearer to us that the investing section of our curriculum needed a bit more tweaking before we could present it in our sessions. Despite those speed-bumps, it was yet another successful class as the students were engaged in the subject matter.
See you all next week!
The information was dense, and the students came up with even more questions than they had in the beginning of the class. The instructor and the USC students answered as many questions as they could with the allotted time, and before we knew it the class had ended.
After the students left our class, it was clearer to us that the investing section of our curriculum needed a bit more tweaking before we could present it in our sessions. Despite those speed-bumps, it was yet another successful class as the students were engaged in the subject matter.
See you all next week!
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