The National Bank of Romania (B.N.R.), the Financial Supervisory Authority (A.S.F.), the Ministry of Finance (M.F.) and the Romanian Association of Banks (A.R.B.) organised the fourth edition of the "Urban Financial Education Camp" project from June to August 2022.
The project is carried out annually under the auspices of the Collaboration Agreement on Financial Education and is dedicated to 6th and 7th-grade students. This year, the students who had the opportunity to be part of this experience are enrolled in schools in Bucharest, Ilfov, Timiș, Cluj, Dolj, Iași, Constanța.
During the five days of the camp, specialists from B.N.R., A.S.F., M.F./A.N.A.F., and A.R.B. presented and explained financial concepts and notions. Each of the groups of students benefited from useful information to develop healthy habits in managing money and skills to make correct and informed choices to improve their financial situation.
In this context, the program approaches a non-formal teaching methodology called edutainment (education through entertainment). The activities are based on a multi-sensory technique, which leads to accelerated learning, with children constantly involved in the education process. Games and activities are used to demonstrate important concepts so that students learn and have fun at the same time.
A session dedicated to children from disadvantaged backgrounds was also organized from 28 August to 2 September. This took place in an informal setting at the BNR's Unit for Professional Development and Social Activities in Cumpătu - Sinaia. The participants were provided with the necessary infrastructure to create a pleasant atmosphere in which knowledge and information could be assimilated at an optimal level.
Financial education occupies a strategic place on the agenda of the signatory institutions of the Collaboration Agreement. The agreement, concluded by the four institutions and the Ministry of Education, aims to develop the National Strategy for Financial Education (SNEF) and carry out joint activities in the field of financial education.