Content for Change: Enactus Fights Financial Illiteracy
We all remember teachers asking us in primary and secondary school, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” However, many of us college students have perceived a gaping hole in middle school and high school education: the financial wisdom to solidify our dreams into practical reality. As James Swindell points out, “Helping people learn about financial literacy isn’t something that’s been emphasized.”
Enter Content for Change, a physical media-based initiative of Enactus. Enactus is a global organization that helps “Young leaders everywhere use innovation and business skills to ensure that all people thrive in a sustainable world” (enactus.org). With chapters in colleges and universities in thirty-five countries, student members take the reins in creative problem-solving to help their fellow humans thrive and grow, both locally and internationally. Enactus in general has over one thousand projects, and Content for Change in particular has already published a children’s book for children in Haiti and beyond.
Content for Change’s current project is a comic book to increase “financial literacy in middle and high school students in an interactive way,” project manager Elizabeth Fenger describes. English majors created the comic’s story line last year and animation students are currently in the drawing and coloration process. The team plans to connect with a graphic designer for text overlay and the YMCA, churches and local organizations for distribution of the comic. Thus, several sectors of the community are involved or yet to be involved in “articulating business concepts to students in a practical way.” Fenger adds that “professors were instrumental in pushing the project to animation students.”
About eleven pages long with rich, saturated colors, the comic features Bill, a high school graduate determined to become financially independent. Readers follow Bill as he obtains a job, applies for a credit card, and makes monetary decisions that can be daunting for teenagers. Short, sweet and inspiring, the team intends for the artistic rendition to “teach without it feeling like learning.”
Tween and teen readers won’t be the only ones impacted by the project; its own creators plainly state that they too have reaped its benefits. James Swindell, a financial management major, was pleased to “put his skills to work and apply them practically.” Lauryn Pinckney and Shannon Corrigan, both animation majors, note the experience of “working in large groups” with “everyone as a team.” William Overbey, also an animation major, got to “work on my leadership skills.” Several other animation majors are excited to be drawing professionally. Aasiya Jackson and Geena Lake “saw this as an opportunity to learn comic creation” and “gain more professional experience for making art and comics.” Priscilla Collier says, “It’s amazing that my art’s going to be published!” Taylor Joneleit adds that it is “rewarding being able to work on a big project right off the bat, as a freshman- and one that’s very meaningful, too!”
Christian stewardship is exemplified in Content for Change’s comic. Not only does the comic have the potential to educate a vulnerable age group about financial responsibility, but it is also a testament to collaboration as a local project of a global organization. From business to animation majors, Regent students have drawn valuable professional experience from the making of this comic. Likely, the powerful, artistic parable will provide young students with the foundation to gain wisdom of their own.
Curious about the project? For more information, visit: https://enactus.org/ or @regentuniversityenactus on Instagram!
