There are still too many young adults around the world who lack an adequate level of proficiency in financial topics, with likely negative consequences for their future. “ANGLE: A Network Game for Life-cycle Education” funded by the European Union through Erasmus+ program aims to improve younger generations financial skills in a variety of life decision-making situations. The project has produced a set of booklets which attempt to shed light on the fundamental economic concepts involved in these decisions through examples and tasks. In Helsinki, students have also twice been able to test and develop the main output of the project, a board game where financial skills can be practiced – and without a risk.
ANGLE is a research project funded by The European Union through the Erasmus+ involving several European research institutes and universities. The aim of the project is to improve and enhance younger generations financial skills in various decision-making situations that will occur throughout their lives. Etla’s part in the collaboration is focusing on the choice of form of housing and the financing of owner-occupied housing. Research Advisor Tarmo Valkonen is responsible for the project at Etla.
On the contents of the research project various training materials have been completed during the spring 2022. The main output of the project, the board game, will be completed during the summer. The ANGLE Booklet series “Be in charge of your life cycle” contains five booklets which cover a variety of decision-making situations, from studying and saving to retirement. Booklets track a variety of fictional characters and the decisions they make.
For example, the study booklet follows Peter in high school where he wonders whether he should invest on studying now and what the consequences of his decision will be. The housing booklet, on the other hand, follows Eva and Daniel as they consider whether to purchase a owner-occupied home or to rent.
– With the help of booklets, the youth can reflect their own decision-making situations on the experience of the characters in the booklets. The youth also get to practice calculating the financial impact of different decisions themselves using the tasks in the booklets. In addition, the booklets open many difficult financial terms, says Etla’s Tarmo Valkonen.
Read the booklets in the official ANGLE website
The main target group of ANGLE research project are first-year university students. Students have tested the booklets and the board game all over Europe. According to Valkonen, Etla also succeeded in involving students in various subjects from high schools and universities in the project. Students tested and evaluated the board game developed in the research project in two separate testing sessions.
The first testing was held at the end of 2021 in Etla. The latter gaming session was held at the Bank of Finland Museum in early May 2022. There were total of five tables of students from both high schools and universities. On behalf of the Bank of Finland, Anu Raijas, Adviser of Financial Literacy, attended the event and opened the museum just for the board game testing session.
The final version of the board will be played in Finland at a larger event in the late 2022.
