The College of Human and Environmental Sciences is hosting Camp Cash for area children 11 to 14 years old from June 9 to June 13. Jan Brakefield, a professor in the consumer sciences department, will head and organize the camp.
Camp Cash is a program that focuses on strengthening monetary and financial skills as well as leadership, confidence and self-esteem. Brakefield started the camp in 2008 because she wanted to serve the youth of the Tuscaloosa area.
“Financial management skills are so critically important in adulthood. Making sound financial choices and decisions oftentimes do not come naturally,” Brakefield said. “The earlier we learn important money skills, the more likely it is we will incorporate those lessons in our daily lives.”
The lessons use concise language, clearly defined terms and age-appropriate vocabulary to effectively convey and teach the principles of finance and money management to the children.
Topics covered include financial goal setting, budgeting, credit use, investing, insurance and career planning. Campers will learn how to make good purchase decisions, to separate needs from wants, to avoid impulse spending, to identify scams and to design a realistic budget.
They also learn skills such as correctly writing a check, completing a deposit slip, recording transactions and balancing a register. They are even introduced to the stock market and the investment process.
The counseling staff is comprised of students from the College of Human and Environmental Sciences.
Garrett Lowry, a first-time counselor and a senior majoring in consumer sciences with a concentration in family financial planning and counseling, said that his main motivation for working as a counselor was to help the children at the camp establish a firm foundation in financial literacy.
“Financial literacy is an issue that is often overlooked, especially in the state of Alabama,” Lowry said. “I feel like the camp is the perfect platform to leave a lasting impression on these kids and help them understand that there is more to managing money than ‘balancing a check book.’”
Whitney Rhyne, another first-time counselor, is a graduate student in consumer sciences with a concentration in financial planning. Rhyne decided to become a counselor at the camp because it combined her passion for working with children with a subject that she loves.
“Learning how to deal with and manage money is an important life skill,” Rhyne said. “The earlier a child is exposed to the concepts, the easier it will be to apply them to their lives and on into adulthood.”
To register for the camp, contact Jan Brakefield at [email protected]. Students must have an A/B average.
See also: “Financial planning classes should be required at UA“
