At Plan Institute we are strong believers in financial and future planning, which we feel is important for everyone. Being that November is National Financial Literacy Month as well as Indigenous Disability Awareness Month here in British Columbia, we thought we would share this free resource from Prosper Canada and AFOA Canada that is intended to assist Indigenous families throughout Canada with their financial goals.
“The land is our teacher. It teaches us about saving, sustainability and security. At creation animals, birds and fish were asked what they could teach humans. The animal world said humans can learn from our values, character and behaviour. In this booklet the animals will teach you about managing your money.”- Simon Brascoupé, Anishinabeg/Haudenausanee Bear Clan Member of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation
In today’s economy, managing money can feel stressful at times. A helpful step is to identify goals for you and your family. They can be used one at a time, or as a complete set of activities that help you track your spending, income, and bills, make a budget, set goals, and prepare for tax time.
Bright, beautiful, interactive and simple to use, Managing your money, offers a series of seven worksheets to help Indigenous individuals and families to set and work towards money goals. Each financial topic and activity features artwork by Simon Brascoupé paired with a teaching from the animal world that draws on their skills, strengths and experiences in managing resources. Each worksheet focuses on a financial area:
- Your money goals
- Tracking your regular income
- Tracking your spending
- Tracking your bills
- Monthly budgeting
- Setting a savings goal
- Preparing for tax filing
The worksheets were designed in the booklet to facilitate one-on-one money conversations or to be used in financial education workshops. The two main audiences for this resource are: case managers, frontline staff and volunteers who want to help people they serve strengthen their financial wellness; and community members that may want or need financial information and tools.
Prosper Canada developed this resource in partnership with AFOA Canada, for its First Nations Financial Wellness Project funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. You can make photocopies of individual worksheets that you find helpful to use with community members, or you can download the worksheets in digital PDFs from the Prosper Canada at www.prospercanada.org under Financial Literacy Facilitator Resources. Contact [email protected] to order print copies of this resource.