We’ve been a proud partner of the Money Mentor Program, supporting its development since its inception in 2020.

And we’re thrilled to report that the program has spread its wings wide and far throughout Victoria with the support of the Bendigo Bank Community Bank network.

Lead by Aruna Venkatachalam from the Money Mentor team, they just completed a four week program with Year 9 students in Maffra. With a diversity of students, many from agriculture and farming backgrounds, questions ranged from ‘what’s a credit card’ to ‘how do I invest in shares as part of an investor circle’?

Sarah Dearne from Community Bank Maffra said “I think it’s a great program for kids,” “They really don’t get taught much about finance and it’s an important part of life.”

The program was co-ordinated by teachers Ryan Hon and Katie Johnson, along with Sarah Dearne and Rob Christie from the Community Bank Board, for their support through the program. Sam Muscat and Ian Prince from Bendigo Bank HQ joined Aruna in leading sessions to over 125 students.

The Money Mentor Team also delivered to Elwood College Year 9 students over several weeks in November, once again assisted by Sam Muscat and Andrea Flynn from Bendigo Bank HQ. Students reported that some of their biggest takeaways were that it’s helped them “save money and learn about expenses” and also “learn about superannuation” that they didn’t know about before.  Once student responded that she’d also “learnt about the importance of saving money while also spending it.”

With keen interest from community banks Australia-wide, we’re looking forward to the Money Mentor’s expansions in 2026. Learn more about the Money Mentor Program here