PASADENA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RETURNS TO ELIOT ARTS MAGNET WITH $IXTH GRADE ¢ENTS FINANCIAL LITERACY WORKSHOPS

Five-week program included information on the finance, budgeting, credit, banking and more from program partner Wells Fargo

The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association undertook the sixth year of its $ixth Grade ¢ents financial literacy program for 6^th graders at Eliot Arts Magnet in the Pasadena Unified School District. “We were very pleased to be invited back to Eliot Arts Magnet for a sixth year of financial literacy workshops for 6^th graders,” said Pasadena Chamber CEO Paul Little. “Every sixth grader at Eliot is getting basic information on financial literacy, including budgeting, banking, credit and finance.”

For most of the program, volunteers from local branches of Wells Fargo provide insights and information on money handling, budgeting, savings, banking and credit. The representatives of the bank have ties to the local community and reflect the students they are interacting with. A few presenters are alumni of Eliot. “We really work to ensure the Wells Fargo volunteers are people the students can see and think ‘that could be me’,” Mr. Little remarked. “We want young people to see that careers in banking and finance are achievable for them.”

Sixth Grade ¢ents is embedded in the 6^th grade math classes at Eliot. Math teachers work with Chamber staff and volunteer presenters

to ensure that the financial literacy workshops reflect and reinforce the lessons being taught in the classroom. “Math is really a language for business. What seems to engage the students is equating the mathematics they are learning with money and finance,” Mr. Little said. “Once they make that connection, the students look at the multiplication, division and percentages they are calculating differently.”

This year, nearly 200 6^th graders took part in the program every Wednesday for five weeks. For four of those weeks, representatives of Wells Fargo discussed spending priorities, budgeting, credit and responsible spending. $ixth Grade ¢ents concludes with a game of Financial Jeopardy and a pizza party for the students. Each student who completes the program also receives a certificate from the Pasadena Chamber and other recognitions, including a brand new two-dollar bill.

$ixth Grade ¢ents is one of many work-based learning initiatives undertaken by the Pasadena Chamber with the Pasadena Unified School

District. Those efforts include summer intern placements, job shadowing for high school student, classroom speakers from the business community and mentoring. If you would like to volunteer your time, host and intern, be a job shadow location or mentor a local student, visit:  http://www.pasadenayouthworks.org/host/signup and fill out the brief volunteer form.

The public can support the Chamber's work-based learning and workforce development activities by donating to the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Any donation is 100% tax deductible and will go directly to supporting work with students in our local public schools. To donate visit:  http://www.pasadenayouthworks.org/host/donate.

The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce Foundation provides support for work-based learning and financial literacy programs to benefit young people and others seeking employment or professional advancement in our community. This work is done with and through the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association. We work with education, community, non-profit and business partners as we help provide career exploration and real-world experience for local students.