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!

Class intently listening to the Financial Instructors' closing remarks

Students and USC undergrads soaking in information

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!