Over the past 18 years, North Carolina Bankers have provided a unique experience for more than 8,000 students.
Each summer they sponsor Camp Challenge, a financial literacy camp for high-achieving, at-risk middle school students.
The camp is free to campers and provides a traditional camp experience – swimming, horseback riding, archery – along with basic etiquette guidance and practical financial education. This week I had the opportunity to visit with 100 campers.
While I was there to share my experiences and offer encouragement, most of our time was spent in questions and answers. The students were interested in all sorts of things about the Governor (Is it hard to be Governor?) and about what it means to be First Gentleman (What’s your day like?). I also had lots of questions for them about what they were learning.
Several of the campers talked about how they now understood what it is like for their parents to face a stack of bills and that is important to make good financial decisions. They also commented on the need to pay for credit card purchases rather than just piling up debt. Of course they also were excited about how “chill” the counselors were and all the new friends they were making.
The curriculum used, Life with Bills, is an interactive, computer-based simulation that allows the students to experience money management first-hand. These are important and valuable skills that every student should get the chance to develop.