A summer camp dedicated to Monopoly? In the United States it is a reality and aims to teach children the first rudiments of financial economics.
With the closure of the schools i summer camps for all tastes and inclinations, such as those with a sports, naturalistic or artistic theme, but in the United States a very special and particular one has been launched: Monopoly Money Matters Campthe summer camp official of Monopoly where kids can learn how to better manage their savings.
Monopoly Money Matters Camp: what it is and how it works
Monopoly’s Money Matters Financial Literacy Camp is an official Hasbro initiative organized by Varsity Tutorsa company specializing in educational solutions and study assistance, aimed at children between 9 and 17 years.
The summer camp will aim to bring Monopoly in children’s daily life through the discovery and learning of economic principles underlying the game. Once these concepts are grasped, they will have to be used for develop their own “house rules“ (i.e. your own rules) and property cards, in order to redefine your experience of the game.
Monopoly Money Matters Camp will take place online every week throughout the summer. The sessions, from Monday to Friday, will last for about two hours and will be divided into three segments (theory, debate and practice) referring to the topic of the day.
In exploring the different topics, the students will be joined by an economics teacher who will guide them through concepts of marketing, entrepreneurship, business strategy and will help them put what they have learned to good use.
The course costs 250 dollars per participant and was created to respond to a particular need: according to a survey by the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) 88% of American citizens believe that attendance at at least one course in financial economics is essential within their academic curriculum.
Regardless of the financial literacy level of each of the participants (or the parents of the girls and boys involved), it is interesting to see the birth of such an initiative, which thus demonstrates the potential of the game like teaching tool. It is particularly interesting to note how a game like Monopoly where speculation and bankruptcy are the two main themes (not exactly a kind of ethical finance then), it can instead be used as a tool to teach the youngest economic concepts more or less complex and of sure usefulness in everyday life.
