Who Should Apply

You are a Black youth, Ontario resident, and you will:

• be enrolled in any of Grades 10, 11, or 12 in September 2022, or
• be enrolled in post-secondary studies in September 2022,

As well, you are keen to learn how to effectively manage your finances.

What

“Managing money remains the most daunting challenge for college students for the fourth year in a row, with nearly half of college students (47%) saying they do not feel prepared to manage their money… College students are desperately in need of education and skills related to personal finance management and future fiscal planning.”
Key Findings, Research by AIG

“I recently attended a webinar on financial literacy and found it very educational. The information I received has since motivated me to make some important financial decisions regarding my future.”
Leadership by Design Student, 2nd Year, 2021, York University. The statement was made after attending a financial literacy workshop.

Managing money effectively is one of the most important skills an adolescent can learn, and through SummerUp’s Financial Literacy program, we offer Black youth an opportunity to acquire and practice this skill. We believe every post-secondary student should be proficient at managing their finances especially given their high exposure to debt. We believe learning effective money management should begin earlier in high school. This course is a must for you:
– if you want to effectively control your spending habits,
– if you will be attending a post-secondary institution in the fall and have taken a loan (i.e. debt) to do so,
– if you will be in high school in the fall and want to start planning a strategy for funding your future post-secondary studies,
– if you want to become a better overall manager of your money, and
– if you want to have a deeper understanding of how to save and invest.

Financial literacy is about ‘earning, spending, and saving habits’…yours. The goal of SummerUp’s five-day Financial Literacy course is to equip high school and post-secondary students with tools, knowledge, resources, and skills to manage their money effectively and efficiently. Every student should take this course. Parents may attend as well.

Why this Matters

The case for financial literacy among youth is powerful All that remains is persuading youth to invest the time to learn to be more effective managers of their money. Here are more thoughts on the subject:

Article: Why Financial Literacy in Schools Matters Today for the Workforce of Tomorrow, Forbes Communications Council
Ontario Curriculum: Financial Literacy Education in Ontario Schools
Summary of Report: Mandatory Financial Literacy Courses

SummerUp’s Financial Literacy program was specifically designed for high school and post-secondary students. Your instructor has delivered this program to youth many times and she does her best to minimize the use of unnecessary terms which so often colours this subject. She is also skilled at encouraging full engagement. Since most young people have zero or minimal formal education in financial literacy, the program will start with fundamental ideas and practices and go from there. The outcomes of this program are to:

• equip high school and post-secondary students with the tools, knowledge, resources, and skills to manage their money effectively and efficiently,
• assist students in determining how to plan the financing of their post-secondary education while minimizing debts from student or bank loans,
• enable students to make better financial decisions,
• improve personal budgeting by students, and
• enhance financial intuition.

Here are the opinions of three students who took this course in summer 2021:

Student #1: “[My main takeaways are] how to come up with a budget; what are investments and liabilities; where your money goes from your paycheck (taxes etc.); what expenses look like in post-secondary school.”

Student #2: “My main takeaways of the program are ways to keep my credit score up, credit, taxes, money, and how money works.”

Student #3: “I thought the program was great overall, learned a lot of valuable material, and was taught how to get into the money-making, hard-working mindset.”

Admissions Information

Who: You are a Black youth, Ontario resident, and you will:

• be enrolled in any of Grades 10, 11, or 12 in September 2022, or
• be enrolled in post-secondary studies in September 2022,

As well, you are keen to learn how to effectively manage your finances.
You are serious about developing your personal financial management skills. You are willing to commit to attending all scheduled learning sessions (see dates and times below).

Admissions Process: All eligible applicants will be considered for admission. Refer to application deadlines at https://llileaders.com/summerup/

Start/Stop Dates: Financial Literacy spans 1 week (5 days); 2 hours per day; starting on Monday, August 8, 2022, and ending on Friday, August 12.

Meeting Pattern: This course will meet for 2 hours on each of the following days:
Monday, August 8: 5.30 – 7.30 p.m. – Money Mindset and Saving/Budgeting
Tuesday, August 9: 5.30 – 7.30 p.m. – Debt and Credit
Wednesday, August 10: 5.30 – 7.30 p.m. – Investing(e.g., RRSPs; TFSA; property, etc.)
Thursday, August 11: 5.30 – 7.30 p.m. – Taxes (e.g., efficient ways to earn income)
Friday, August 12: 5.30 – 7.30 p.m. – Financial Preparation for Post-Secondary Studies

Mode: Virtual (Zoom) Students must have a suitable computer and reliable Internet access.

Faculty

Harprit Gill

Harprit Gill is a Financial Advisor/Educator, Community Leader, and Entrepreneur. She has taken her passion for community work and entrepreneurship and combined it with her love for educating people on financial literacy and providing financial solutions. As an individual who grew up in a marginalized community, she noticed the lack of literacy and the barriers to accessing sound financial resources and advisors. She is on a mission to change the lives of everyday Canadians. Her goal is to revolutionize communities by teaching people how to build and sustain wealth through a holistic community-based approach.

Harprit Gill is particularly keen to narrow the knowledge gap students experience regarding personal financial management. Her financial literacy workshops are specially tailored for students and are sure to excite and engage students.

Special Note:

SummerUp is designed to serve and support the personal, educational, and professional aspirations of Ontario’s Black youth. The program is developed and presented by the Lifelong Leadership Institute (LLI), and it is primarily funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education. The quality of the SummerUp experience is assured by the contributions of a diverse group of individuals, educators, institutions, and corporations – all of which are committed to championing the well-being, development, and advancement of Black youth.

The Lifelong Leadership Institute also offers the Leadership by Design program which provides intensive leadership-development opportunities to Black youth.

The SummerUp 2022 program is primarily funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education.