BCR amounted 111,953 hours of financial education, in just 7 days, at Global Money Week

Banca Comercială Română (BCR) concluded this year’s edition of Global Money Week by surpassing the symbolic threshold of 100,000 hours of financial education. No less than 111,953 hours were delivered in just 7 days, thus marking 10 years of the Money School through a collective effort at national level.

The total number of hours was achieved through a national experiment that demonstrated that financial education can reach anywhere, when it is brought into everyday life. Through the “Edufin la tota lumea” initiative, financial education emerged from the classic approach of courses and was integrated, naturally, for 7 days, in situations and places where we all find ourselves. Are you waiting for the metro? Are you at the cinema? At the mall? Are you getting ready for a flight? Commercial break? Do you read the news online or get information from social media? In each of these situations, there are certainly at least 60 seconds that we can invest for short lessons about money.

“Through this initiative, we wanted to show that financial education does not have to be complicated or difficult to access. We demonstrated that 100,000 hours of financial education are not a barrier when you have a clear objective, superimposed on a need and when you bring the information to where people already are. We are happy to see that Romanians have responded to this challenge and understood that every small step counts. After 10 years of Money School, we continue to take financial education further in schools, in communities and in everyday life. And this is just the beginning of the next chapter,” said Nicoleta Deliu-Pașol, Head of Communication & CSR, BCR

To transform financial education into an accessible and relevant experience, BCR integrated micro-lessons into familiar contexts. Thus, financial information was brought closer to the moments when people actually have a few seconds of attention and openness to learn something new. The financial education micro-lessons were present:

• in metro stations, on the way to the office or home;

• in malls, during shopping breaks;

• in cinemas in 24 cities, before the start of movies;

• on TV, through a different public interest message, which talked about money depending on the roles in each person’s life: child, parent, partner or grandparent;

• in the inboxes of over 60 BCR partner companies and in office buildings;

• in the communities of BCR partner organizations, where children, teachers and parents stand together for a generation that trusts its financial decisions;

• in high schools and universities in 30 cities;

• In 70 schools involved in LifeLab, with over 12,000 students and 350 teachers participating in the actions

• in BCR units across the country, where over 1.2 million people interacted with the educational moments;

• but also in the online environment, through micro-lessons accessible to anyone, at any time of the day.

In parallel, the educational component was supported through 150 workshops and webinars, dedicated to children, young people and adults, which complemented the digital experience with direct interactions. At the same time, over 400 BCR employees contributed to expanding the initiative in their communities.

Thus, for a week, financial education became part of the daily routine of Romanians, regardless of the city, context or time of day.

The campaign started from a simple idea: financial education is not a difficult or abstract subject, but is part of all our decisions. From our morning coffee to the home we live in, every choice has a financial component, and understanding begins with small steps. And when information is simple and appears at the right times, it becomes easier to understand and apply.

In this context, “Edufin is given to everyone” exceeded the symbolic threshold of 100,000 hours of financial education, reaching a total of 111,953 hours, thus marking 10 years of the School of Money through a collective effort at the national level. Thus, this year’s initiative marks a natural step forward: the transition from financial education as a program to financial education as a daily reflex. BCR aims to continue this direction and bring financial education even closer to people, in schools, in communities and in the moments that really matter. Because, sometimes, everything starts with a minute. And that minute can change the way we relate to money.