Western Sydney Students Make Sense of Finance with Sketch Comedy

High school students across Western Sydney will learn skills crucial to their financial literacy as they participate in a sketch and improvisational comedy program. The MoneyGramFoundation proudly sponsors Mad About Money and joins together with The National Theatre for Children (NTC) to bring the show to schools at no cost. The tour begins Monday 16th Marchand will visit schools across Liverpool, Blacktown, Parramatta and other surrounding suburbs.

Michael Minassian, MoneyGram Senior Regional Director, Australia & Oceania sees the value of investing in students. “Today’s teens are tomorrow’s young adults, who will face importantdecisions regarding their spending and saving habits,” he says. “When we prepare them to develop healthy habits, the benefits are enormous—they will have less stress, less debt and lessconfusion about their finances”.

Mad About Money is a forty‐minute performance divided into segments that humorously address topics like the difference between needs and wants, saving and investing, cash and creditand the importance of forming a  savings habit. Two professional actors take suggestions from the audience and incorporate the ideas into their scenes through improvisation. “The kidsrespond so well to the program because they get to help shape it,” says NTC Managing Director Tobias Benn. “It’s an interactive experience rather than a passive presentation. The energyis very high, the information is relevant and meaningful to the kids and the information stays with them because learning and laughter are blended so seamlessly.”

The concepts examined in Mad About Money are reinforced by free student workbooks and teacher guides for educators to use in their lessons. Schools also gain access to digital learningmaterials to supplement their lessons with interactive classroom exercises, quizzes and games based around the program.