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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 APRIL 2021 12 COMMERCIAL European Money Week 2021 goes virtual as Malta Bankers' Association promotes financial literacy amongst youth THE Malta Bankers' Associa- tion (MBA) organised a series of events and activities in con- junction with European Money Week (EMW) and Global Money Week, which this year was held between 22 and 26 March 2021. The EMW 2021 events included also a first - a local competition amongst eligible students aimed at selecting participants repre- senting Malta for the European Banking Federation (EBF)'s Eu- ropean Money Quiz, which will be held in April. This was the seventh year that EMW was held in Malta, although last year almost all events had to be cancelled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. EMW is characterised by a series of financial education events organised by national banking associations across Europe, under the coordina- tion of the EBF of which the MBA is a member. The MBA's programme of events was organised in con- junction with the Home Eco- nomics Seminar Centre (HESC) within the Department for Curriculum, Lifelong Learning & Employability, Ministry for Education and in collaboration with GEMMA, Junior Achieve- ment Young Enterprise Malta Foundation (JAYE), the Cen- tral Bank of Malta (CBM) and the Malta Insurance Associa- tion (MIA). This year's events aimed to implement a concept sched- uled for last year, in that the programme departed from the format utilised in previous edi- tions of EMW, which had fo- cused almost exclusively on the utilisation of banking products to foster financial literacy. As the concept of financial litera- cy is much more extensive than just imparting knowledge on banking services and products, the MBA and its partners in this year's venture collaborat- ed to encompass interventions with a more comprehensive financial significance, and to a wider audience. EMW 2021's week-long pro- gramme was officially inaugu- rated on the 22 March with a virtual address from the Min- ister for Education Dr Justyne Caruana and kicked off with the announcement of the win- ning students who competed in the 'Financial Literacy Chal- lenge' for Year 4 to Year 11 stu- dents, aged 8 to 16 years. The students from the participating primary and secondary schools, planned and implemented an activity with the theme "Take Care of Yourself, Take Care of Your Money", aimed at pro- moting awareness related to financial literacy, education and inclusion. Vouchers for Є 250 and Є 150 were awarded by the MBA to the first and sec- ond-placed students respec- tively from both primary and secondary schools. As part of the activities of EMW itself, a train-the-train- er event namely, a professional development training session for educators with the theme "Financial Literacy a Lifelong Experience", was held on the 23 March. Speakers from the CBM, the MIA, GEMMA and JAYE, developed themes con- nected with the wider defini- tion and concept of financial literacy as explained above. EMW 2021 in Malta will however be primarily remem- bered as being the first time that a local competition was held amongst eligible students to select participants for the EBF's European Money Quiz. The local event, held on the 24 March, resulted in the se- lection of two students who will now compete in the Grand final of the European Money Quiz scheduled to be held vir- tually on the 20 April. The MB A awarded vouchers to the two finalists. A further event was held on the 25 March, whereby speak- ers from JAYE Malta Founda- tion organised a webinar with the theme "Europe My Busi- ness", as an interactive pro- gramme which explores the re- lationship between the natural, human and capital resources found in different countries. EMW 2021 concluded on the 26 March with an initia- tive which was also successful- ly held in previous editions of the Money Week, namely the "Be Wise – Pay Smart" pro- gramme. This event showcased a number of educational videos written, acted and directed by staff from the HESC and com- missioned and funded by the MBA for use in schools. The participants comprised Year 10 students aged 14 to 15 years following the Core Cur- riculum Programme and Year 9, 10 and 11 students aged 13 to 16 years following the PTI Achieve Programme. Teachers from the HESC together with representatives of the MBA's members, namely BOV and HSBC, acted as facilitators dur- ing this event. Representatives from various bodies at the Teachers' training programme as part of European Money Week 2021 held on the 23 March Frank Salt Real Estate launches corporate wellbeing programme #LetsBeActive FRANK Salt Real Estate has just launched #LetsBeActive, a well- being drive aimed at promoting the physical and mental well- ness of its employees, whilst al- so promoting teamwork and a stronger sense of collectiveness. Globally, as more workers experience pandemic-induced stress, many international companies have turned to well- ness programs, especially digi- tal ones, to alleviate the burden that comes with the changing work environment. Frank Salt Real Estate is amongst the first to be doing so locally and hopes that its wellness program would encourage staff members to be more physically active, and ul- timately happier and healthier. Making use of an internation- ally acclaimed corporate well- being app, all Frank Salt Real Estate staff members have been assigned to one of six groups and will be 'competing' against each other in performing regu- lar exercise routines, as well as ongoing quests and challenges that the company will roll out on an ongoing basis. Through the app, one can track, log and compare his or her training or activity with teammates and colleagues, whilst having fun together and being more active and healthy. The objective is to gain as many points as possible during the 'Company Leagues', which kicked off on April 1st. Points are awarded to partici- pants for all types of physical activity completed and con- tribute to the group average. #LetsBeActive is also meant to provide contestants with a sense of community. By being able to share their workouts with each other, the groups will feed off each other's ener- gy and encourage each other to remain active even in these trying times. At the end of each quarter, the winning team will be award- ed company merchandise and other prizes as well as medals and trophies. Apart from a fit- ness and wellbeing element, #LetsBeActive will also tie in with Frank Salt Real Estate's #LetsGoEnvironmental drive, as well as other CSR initiatives, with the goal being a stronger contribution towards society.