The Citizen Leader Lab was delighted to host the Xhuma Programme, a financial literacy project run by master’s students from the University of St Gallen in Switzerland.
The “Xhumites” recently delivered fun, interactive finance workshops to the Grade 10 and Grade 11 learners of Hawston Secondary School in the Overstrand.
The school is one of more than 2 000 that form part of the Citizen Leader Lab’s flagship leadership development programme for school principals and business leaders.
Since 2012, Xhuma has improved the lives of children in South Africa by teaching them financial literacy skills. In the recent Hawston workshops learners were taught the fundamentals of financial literacy through an interactive, entertaining but impactful “Money Game”.
This introduces several concepts of financial literacy, such as income, expenses, investments, saving and spending money on “fun stuff”. Its goal is to create consciousness and awareness of financial matters in an interactive way that encourages participants to be protective.
The Grade 11 learners will also participate in a mentoring programme set up in partnership with the University of Cape Town Investment Society.
The “Xhumites” also had an opportunity to meet with local Business Leaders and visited a few of the local businesses around the Overstrand;
Rodney Nissen, Project Manager at Enlighten Education Trust in Hermanus, welcomed the students who were keen to explore the ECD centres in the area.
Enver Manchest, CFO at Abagold in Hermanus and also business leader in partnership with Lincoln Wildschut, principal of Mount Pleasant Primary School, hosted the students, who enjoyed a tour of one of abalone farms in the New Harbour. For most of them this was a first experience, amazed and overwhelmed as they were with pure joy and excitement.
The students took some time out to taste our South African wines and enjoyed a complimentary wine tasting from Benguela Cove, taking in the beautiful sunset over the lagoon. The week was wrapped-up with a lovely South African braai.