Girls Taught 'Money Matters' By Professional Women

By Janene Holzberg

The room was abuzz at the Columbia Teen Center in Oakland Mills Village Center as a group of middle school girls settled in for a class on money management.
The free, seven-week class was co-sponsored by the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County, a women's philanthropy, and the Columbia Association. It was appropriately called, "The Money Matters Club: Young Energetic Savvy."
Volunteer Clarky Davis, spokesperson for Ascend One Corp., a Columbia-based company that specializes in handling consumer debt, asked the participants to review with her as they prepared for the last class and the small graduation ceremony late last month.
The girls listened raptly and responded quickly to her prompts, such as: "When we're talking about money, we know our choices have ... what?" she asked.
"Consequences," they all replied. "Good or bad," added one student.
"And we use our skills, interests and values to make good financial decisions," Davis reminded them. "Remember, it's not what you earn, it's what you keep and how you spend it."
Working from a book titled Junior Achievement: Economics for Success, Davis led the girls in a review of definitions for words ranging from budget, to credit and debit, to interest. The lesson of the day focused on risk, which she defined as "the chance of losing, failing or getting hurt," and the importance of having insurance.
"This class has been tough, but they have done really well with all the information," Davis said. "They now have the groundwork for understanding the responsibilities that come with money: earning it, spending it, saving it. Girls today are big consumers and have more opportunities to spend money, so this is important information."
After the hour-long session ended, Rene Buckmon, manager of the teen center, proclaimed that the girls not only now know more about money matters than many high school kids but, "they know more about handling money than many adults."
"These girls are very bright," said Davis. "They got along well together and learned about the responsibilities that come with money and the work that it takes to earn money."
Buckmon said the class had been a pilot program and may be offered again at other locations in the county. "Clarky was upbeat and enthusiastic and made the program fun and entertaining," she said. "The girls related to her very well."
"We played a game where they chose careers and then were paid a salary with Monopoly money," said Frances Lev Makino, co-instructor with Davis. "That was a pretty effective way of teaching them how to live within your means."
Added Makino, an investment broker, "This class really got the girls thinking. I feel they got a lot out of it."
For more information about this program and other Women's Giving Circle opportunities, including a residential summer camp for middle and high school girls called "Journey," e-mail womensgivingcircle@comcast.net.