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The NEET female participants, facilitators and trainers from Ireland and UK met in Tralee, Ireland, for the second project LTTA on June 20-24, 2022.

We began with some icebreakers and energisers to get to know each other. These included a game where they were handed cards and asked questions about each other relating to their identity, dreams, goals, experiences, and financial ambitions. Through this game we learnt a lot about each other and why the participants were there, what they wanted to get out of the LTTA, and the gaps in their financial literacy and competencies.  

Once we had gone through the housekeeping and safety procedures, we began by discussing what we all understood about what financial literacy means. The facilitator delivered a presentation on what financial literacy is. We asked a series of questions about various areas of financial literacy and asked the participants to measure themselves on a scale by standing at different ends of a line that marked how confident they were to identify what areas they needed to work on. This was repeated at the end of the week to measure how much learning had taken place.

One of the activities we did developed financial literacy knowledge and skills amongst NEET women to better prepare them to participate in a professional context. We did this through project outputs – game-based learning and role play. One role-play scenario focused on ‘Saving and Investing’, as in the game, someone’s grandmother had gifted the participant a substantial amount of money, and the participant had to decide how to invest or whether to save the money for the future, based on her circumstances. The women who were watching the role-play scenario had to give their feedback at the end and we all reflected on the pros and cons of the possible outcomes. The facilitator made sure the important points were made and highlighted by the women by the end of the group discussion.

The results of this activity were participants improving their understanding of financial health, knowledge of saving and investing, knowledge of credit and debt and knowledge of investing. Other learning outcome and results were the facilitators improved their knowledge and skills in the assessment of learning of NEET women, using inclusive non-formal and game-based methodologies that foster active participation, and improved their ability as educators to work with NEET women.

Another activity, participants did trading, developing their financial literacy and developing a business mindset. They were split into groups and given one bag of sugar each that they had to trade for a profit with local civilians on the street. One group made a profit of 12 euros, and another group came back with golf equipment including golf balls. This activity was really enjoyed by participants. Afterwards, we gathered as a whole group and the participants shared their experiences of how they marketed and traded their products, what barriers they ran into, how they overcame them and what they learned. The results of this activity were increased confidence, independence, better financial management and planning skills, better presentation and public speaking skills, becoming more financially literate and improved team-working skills.

The participants also trialled project’s theoretical materials and the digital game and provided feedback on how to improve them for NEET women.

There were also energisers, particularly, for self-defence for women in the program, discussions and sharing personal experiences, networking, cultural visits in Tralee, common breakfast, lunch and dinners as all participants were located at the same hotel.

By the end of the LTTA the participants felt they had improved their financial literacy and both the facilitator and participants felt they had improved many of the intended outcomes for them. These included:

Participants:

• Improved understanding of financial health 

• Improved knowledge of saving and investing
• Improved knowledge of credit and debt 
• Improve awareness of digital tools that allow the identification of training programmes
• Improve confidence and self-efficacy 

• Increase competencies in financial literacy
• Increased confidence
• Increased independence
• Better financial management and planning skills
• Better presentation and public speaking skills
• Improved teamworking skills
• Improved English language skills
• Improved intercultural dialogue and understanding

Facilitators:

• Improved knowledge of assessment through game-based learning
• Improved understanding of non-formal education 
• Increase awareness of the importance of game-based learning
• Improved ability to deliver non-formal education
• Improved assessment capabilities in non-formal learning
• Improved ability to signpost NEET women to training opportunities in how to start a small business 
• Improved ability to develop the financial literacy skills among NEET women

Hannah Grieve, IKKAIDO LTD, UK