There’s an age gap when it comes to financial literacy, and young people are often at a disadvantage. Grow aims to empower the youth in our communities with the tools and knowledge they need for financial success. This has been an action-packed summer for financial literacy initiatives, as team members hosted interns from Think Big for Kids and campers from the East Tampa Brain Booster Summer Camp.

Think Big for Kids Interns

In partnership with Think Big for Kids, an organization that helps provide mentorship, career exploration and skill development for underprivileged youth, we offered four local high schoolers an opportunity to join us as summer interns to learn about credit union career opportunities. Nine departments at Grow shared their expertise, provided career insights and shared a day in the life with interns. At the end of the program, students received a certificate of completion and a paycheck (of course!) for their time spent with Grow.

Intern Bascia Proctor joined the internship program to gain exposure to different aspects of financial services before heading to Florida A&M University to study business administration.  She shared, “My takeaway from the Think Big for Kids internship is that there’s more than the finance side of banking careers.”

Intern Jamier Huff aspires to explore trade opportunities, such as HVAC or welding, with an interest in owning his own business and potentially learning more about real estate too. In discussing his internship experience, he reflected, “My favorite department was Marketing. We worked on a creative project that energized me, and it was very fun. One takeaway from the internship overall is that there’s always something new to learn!” A piece of advice he wishes to share with younger students is: “Stay focused. Don’t get off track from your goals.”

Intern London Russ particularly enjoyed learning from the Enterprise Operations and Asset Protection teams. She said, “I learned a lot about various types of fraud and how to help people avoid scams.”

Intern Arianna Richards-Harris wrapped up the program with a wonderful observation that we hope will resonate with everyone: “I learned that work doesn’t have to be draining. It can be energizing when you enjoy the company of the people around you and the impact you’re making.” We totally agree, Arianna!

Want to learn more about the Think Big for Kids mission? Start here.

East Tampa Brain Booster Summer Camp

Grow team members Daniel Montanez, Lucas Jackson, and Monica Fonsesco spearheaded our involvement in an education initiative that brought students aged seven through 14 together to improve their financial literacy skills. Campers from the East Tampa Brain Booster Summer Camp spent time learning from Grow team members about important financial topics, including saving, budgeting, credit, debt, entrepreneurship and more. The eight-week camp is a project of BEAUTE (pronounced beauty) Blueprint Foundation Inc. Learn more.

We’re driven by a mission to serve people, not profit. A core part of service to our communities includes financial literacy education and outreach, and we’re always seeking to inspire young people with the tools and knowledge they need for financial success. We were grateful to spend the summer with many bright young minds from the Think Big for Kids internship program and the East Tampa Brain Booster Summer Camp!

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