Classification: Four-year public college or university.
Modules Used:
- Module 1: Get a Grip on Your Finances: Smart Spending for
Students.
How Used: Community outreach.
Program Description: Arizona State University is a partner
in Metro Phoenix ENLACE (Engaging Latino Communities for Education), a project
funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and designed to increase the number of
Latino students who enter and graduate from ASU. "Enlace" is a Spanish word that
means "link." The philosophy of the project is that through partnerships with
community organizations, local businesses, school districts, and colleges and
universities, goals can be attained that no single partner can reach by itself.
Helping Latino students graduate from high school and navigate the college
journey is one of the important goals of the project. With this in mind, the
research evaluator for the project introduces students to financial-aid
information and money-management strategies while they're still in high school.
The USA Funds Life Skills® program helps her facilitate
these discussions, beginning with students who are preparing to enter their
senior year in high school.
Information from Module1: Get a Grip on Your Finances: Smart Spending for
Students, is integrated into sessions for rising high school seniors who
are attending a one-week residential program as part of the ENLACE project. In
addition to learning about scholarships and financial aid, students engage in a
discussion of consumer needs versus wants, play the budget game and visit
various Web sites suggested as additional resources in this module.
Staffing Requirements: The research evaluator for the ENLACE
program facilitates Module 1.
Recommendations: It’s important to understand how USA Funds
Life Skills can complement your current program. Attending a train-the-trainer
workshop allows potential users of USA Funds Life Skills to identify how the
program might fit with specific campus goals and to explore multiple strategies
for implementing the program. The program is flexible enough to accommodate
individual campus needs. For ASU's Latino population, having the program
available in Spanish is an added bonus.
According to the session facilitator, students especially enjoy the USA Funds
Life Skills materials, especially the interactive "games" and Web links.
Campus Contact:
Sherri Moore, Research Evaluator for
W.K. Kellogg Grant
Phone: (480) 965-0220
E-mail: inrpeace50@aol.com