Skint! - A new Financial Education graphic novel for young people aged 16 to 26

The focus of the session is to create an opportunity for teachers, tutors and youth workers to examine a resource that has been tried and tested – Skint!   Skint! is learner-centred and helps develop literacy, numeracy and financial capability through the power of illustrated stories and supporting activities.  The main focus for this is young people aged 16 to 26.

Event objectives – Why should I attend?

• To experience and discuss an innovative approach that uses illustrations and script as a vehicle to develop young people’s numeracy, literacy and financial capability.

Specific learning objectives – What will I learn?

• To be familiar with the power of language and how this can be used as a facilitation tool to support change;
• To recognise the different levels and approaches by which a problem can be challenged and how to use these to effect change;
• To understand the benefits of using ‘experiential learning’ approaches to encourage change;
• To experience the benefits of  an interdisciplinary approach to multiple skills development from a learner’s perspective;
• To know where to find additional support materials to develop this approach further.

Who can attend?

Those who work with young people in formal and informal settings will benefit from attending this seminar. In particular those professionals working in the following contexts or settings will benefit from attending.

• Numeracy and literacy teachers and tutors working in schools, libraries, colleges, community and family learning centres;
• Youth work
• Support workers delivering educational or personal development programmes in young offenders institutions;
• Literacy and numeracy tutors and youth workers linked to local and national voluntary organisations and youth volunteering programmes (eg Millennium Volunteers, Project Scotland)
• Support workers linked to community health partnerships or housing associations;
• Professionals supporting ‘peer education’ initiatives;
• Support workers delivering youth employability training.

Koren Calder, Young Adult Project Coordinator, The Scottish Book Trust

Koren Calder, Scottish Book Trust’s Young Adult Project Coordinator, has been managing the development of the new financial literacies initiative ‘SKINT’, in partnership with the Scottish Government, since October 2009. Previously, Koren was the Education Officer for The Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Learning and Development Officer for Edinburgh Leisure and the Education and Training Officer for National Energy Action. Koren has an Msc in Human Resource Management from Napier University, and a P.G.C.E. and an Honours degree in Applied Consumer Sciences from Northumbria University.