Swansea youths step up to the Challenge and set their sights on national award success
Rampart Rebels - L-r, Luke Murrells, Louise Hooper, Tara Lewis and Shauna Fury.
Local Youngsters’ Money Skills Celebrated by Lloyds TSB Money for Life Challenge
A team of 16 to 19 year olds from Swansea is in the running for a prestigious national award after impressing judges in the first round of the Lloyds TSB Money for Life Challenge, a competition designed to inspire better money management skills.
The team of trainees from the Employment Training Centre in Swansea is now gearing up to go to the Welsh final at Cardiff City Stadium on 23 April where they will showcase their Money for Life Challenge project called Rampart Rebels. Since becoming one of 250 projects in the UK to receive a £500 grant in December, the young people have put their project into action as money saving experts by informing the public about loan sharks in Swansea through a promotional event.
Shauna Fury, aged 17, from Rampart Rebels says: “Taking part in the Money for Life Challenge has been really fun, particularly when one of our team members dressed up as a shark for our promotional event! We’ve noticed that as a team we’ve all become more confident and we’ve also gained skills in organisation and preparation through our event and holding meetings with external providers.”
Rampart Rebels will be joining a shortlist of five Welsh teams whose inspiring money management projects are having a positive impact on their impact on their local communities, families and friends.
The team’s sponsor, Ian Reynolds from the Employment Training Centre says: “The trainees have worked really hard throughout this project, overcoming many barriers and feeling an increased self-esteem by going outside of their comforts zones, whilst also giving back to their own communities in the process.”
On the day of the Welsh final of the Money for Life Challenge, the lucky teams will present their projects to a panel of judges and the winning team will then go on to the UK Grand Final in London on 23 May. If Rampart Rebels is crowned national winner they will also receive £1,000 to donate to a charity of their choice and £50 shopping vouchers for each team member.
Sarah Porretta, Head of the Money for Life Programme at Lloyds Banking Group, said: “The Money for Life Challenge is a great way of empowering young people to manage their money well through supporting others with the exact same skills. Now in its second year, the calibre of the projects never ceases to impress and what’s most striking is the creativity and passion shown by the young people in bringing their original idea to life to make a real difference in their communities.
“We look forward to hearing all about Rampart Rebels project at the Wales final and wish them all the best of luck.”
The winning team of the Grand Final on 23 May will win £2,500 for a charity of their choice, £100 of shopping vouchers for each member and a Lloyds Banking Group mentor. There will also be an overall People’s Prize winner selected by guests at the event.
Money for Life Challenge is part of the Money for Life programme, a unique partnership between Lloyds Banking Group and further education sector partners in the four nations of the UK, including Colleges Wales and National Training Federation for Wales in Wales. The competition aims to find the most successful and innovative ways to improve the money management skills of learners, their friends, families and communities. Team members are between 16 and 24 years old and in further education, work based learning or adult community learning.
The additional Welsh finalists are: Grow and Save, a community based project that aims to encourage people to grow their own fruit, vegetables and herbs to help them save money; Sk8 Swap Shop, which aims to promote money management through a swap shop, inviting members of the community to their event to swap their stuff; Quit and Sav£, identifies the money saving opportunities on cutting down or quitting smoking and communicating this to their college; and Swimming with the Sharks, raising awareness of the dangers of lending money from loan sharks and providing information on alternative ways to borrow money.
For more information on the Money for Life Challenge, please go to moneyforlifechallenge.org.uk, or join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/moneyforlifeuk and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/moneyforlifeuk
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