From bold ideas to creative projects: volunteers present new formats of financial education

This year, volunteers shared their completed projects, which can be rolled out for various target audiences and regions. The main purpose of these projects is to involve people in the complicated world of finance, encouraging responsible behaviour and sound decision-making.

Natalia Vasekina and Artur Kolomiets from Moscow created a series of audio fairy tales on insurance for primary school children, titled Fabulous Policy. Their characters – residents of an imaginary land of Arctavia – deliver the message that risk insurance is necessary and useful even in a magical world. The fairy tales already have fans. The project was supported by several insurance companies and industry associations.

Lyudmila Vasyukova from the Primorye Territory organised the All-Russian Financial Education Marathon for people with disabilities, including special military operation veterans. It features a series of conferences, quests, quizzes, and contests that help gain an understanding of finance and offer practical advice on how to act in different situations. Event organisers are granted access to a collection of materials and manuals tailored to various audiences. The marathon’s motto is: ‘Learn and pass it on’.

Two highly relevant projects designed to help people avoid falling for fraud were presented at the meeting. Alevtina Maslova, a student from the Khabarovsk Territory, developed the quiz Financial Security: Money Muling. In this quiz, the host tries to lure participants into criminal schemes through a game using real fraudulent tactics. Anna Plotnikova from Ryazan turned the classic role-playing game Mafia into a working instrument for spotting scam tricks.

‘Volunteer projects are very valuable to us because they offer freedom in choosing any format and a chance to try various methods to attract attention and present financial issues. Experiments with game formats are of particular interest. They help break down the barrier and challenge the idea that financial literacy is complicated and boring. Financial culture becomes part of everyday life only when there is trust, which is built not only on good methodological materials but even more on sincere communication,’ notes Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina.

The Congress was first held in 2012. To date, the register of the Financial Literacy Development Association includes more than 16,000 financial education volunteers across Russia.