Kids get to grips with fake advertising and price tricks

HSBC Malta Foundation is once again collaborating on a financial literacy programme aimed at young children attending several Skolasajf centres this summer.

Central to this partnership with ĠEMMA “Know, Plan, and Act” within the Ministry for the
Family, Children’s Rights and Social Solidarity, is a workshop entitled “Fact or Fake” which
takes the form of a game.

This workshop was initially developed for year five and year six students and focuses on the development of skills necessary for making responsible purchase judgements when influenced by media advertising. The workshop aims to engage students in discussing the effects of misleading advertisements thus enabling them to distinguish genuine from deceptive commercials. The workshop will also provide students with the opportunity of designing their own adverts to share with their peers.

David Spiteri-Gingell, Team Leader of the ĠEMMA “Know, Plan and Act”: “Our children
should save money for things that they need and for things that are financially worth it. We
must give prime importance to financial capability across the board so that kids grow up
understanding that one should be aware of price tricks and false advertising.”

Maths Support Team members and coordinators of the workshop Amanda Cilia and Analisa
Magro agree that our children must be aware of price tricks, as it is essential to save money
and use it wisely.

Dermot Galea, CEO of the Foundation for Educational Services which manages Skolasajf,
praised the annual partnership with HSBC and added: “The introduction of the financial
literacy topic in the Skolasajf programme was definitely a step in the right direction, helping
children to make informed financial choices.”

Glenn Bugeja, Manager Corporate Sustainability at HSBC Malta concluded: “HSBC Malta
Foundation is highly committed to nurturing the ability in young students to understand and
properly apply financial management knowledge and skills by providing learners with
opportunities to learn effective financial planning, proper budgeting techniques, prioritising
saving and making rational purchasing decisions. That is why we are more than happy to
collaborate with and support ĠEMMA and the Foundation for Educational Services on this
important project.”

This project is one of many which HSBC Foundation and ĠEMMA are running in
collaboration to enhance financial literacy among school children and is scheduled run until
the end August.

For more information about digital financial literacy programmes visit https://gemma.gov.mt/