The problem - Learning about finance and the economy can be difficult and unattainable. The director of multicultural services at Eastern Area Community Ministries and I have been working with a group of immigrant women for the past year to teach them personal finance and economic behavior as a way to help them integrate themselves to their surrounding community. 

The educational program response - I worked with the director of multicultural services at EACM to come up with a program that would be applicable to the clientele EACM serves and could help them understand the US financial system in a way that would be engaging, interactive, and educational. Using curriculum from NGPF I have been able to teach these participants the basics of personal finance and map out their short term and long term financial goals. This year we have been working on expanding that teaching to help the participants understand behavior economic and why people act the way they do specifically when it comes to money. The Bean Game, My Role as a Consumer, and The Ultimatum game have been essential to developing these education goals. 

The participants/target audience - The program is taught in Spanish as the majority of the participants are Spanish speakers. When we have had guest speakers in the past, LEP accommodations have been made by using translated curriculum and Spanish interpreters. 

Other partners (if applicable) - EACM had been a key partner for this program. Trinity Presbyterian Church has allowed us to use their facility to meet every month for the program. 

Program impact or participant response. - Since starting this program in 2022, there has been an increase in participation. We have 18 signed up participants and we always have at least half of them show up to every meeting. Of those participants that have been in the program since the begging of it, 100% have been able to increase their understanding for personal finance and develop short and long term goals. 80% of those participants are sticking to their personal finance goals that they set for themselves and their families. 60% of the participants have stated that they have taught someone in their household a skill they have learned form the program. Using the new economic behavior approach, 50% of the participants stated that they are able to understand how societal factors can influence their consumer behaviors. We hope to continue to grow in the years to come.