This year Money Mentor is eight years old and Aruna and the team recently visited the branch to give the staff an update on the past 12 months. Over the last year, they’ve run the program in school and community settings in the inner west however the program has rapidly expanded with the help of the Community Bank Network.
The secondary schools program has now been taught across Victoria specifically Lara, Gisborne/ Macedon Ranges, Bacchus Marsh, Maffra, Sandringham, Elwood and most recently the Huon Valley in Tasmania.
Separately they were also able to roll out a pilot social enterprise education program with Footscray High School with a group of 35 students.
“We look forward to expanding the program beyond schools and into a wider community,” said Branch Manager, Ashley Coles. “We’d love every community member in the inner west to have access to a free financial literacy program – the language, the processes, the platforms, the financial world is constantly changing and becoming more complex and sometimes more difficult to navigate. We want to give our community all the information they need to successfully manage their finances with confidence.”
Since mid-2024, the program has successfully been rolled out at the following schools and organisations:
- Yarraville Community Centre
- Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
- Mt Alexander College, Kensington
- Mount St Joseph’s College, Altona
- Footscray High School
- Caroline Chisholm College
- Western Bulldogs Daughters of the West
- Western Bulldogs Youth Leadership Program
- Indie College
“We’re fortunate that with the Community Bank model, we are not only connected to our communities but we are also able to provide the funding to support the program, concluded Ash. “We created and piloted the program in the inner west. We are fortunate to have to the Community Bank Network to see the program expand and support communities Australia-wide.”
Want to learn more? Take a look at the Money Mentor Program
