Financial literacy initiative for schoolgirls
‘Girls Go Finance’ at UniCredit Bank Austria
- As part of the partnership with Teach for Austria, a special day for schoolgirls from socio-economically disadvantaged schools took place for the fourth time at the UniCredit Centre am Kaiserwasser
- Around 270 schoolgirls aged between 13 and 15 took part in various workshops on topics such as financial literacy, financial matters specific to women, online safety, sustainability and self-confidence
The “Girls Go Finance” day at the UniCredit Centre on the Kaiserwasser was initiated by Marion Morales Albiñana-Rosner, Board Member for Wealth Management and Private Banking at UniCredit Bank Austria, who also supports Teach for Austria’s corporate volunteering programme. UniCredit Bank Austria supports Teach for Austria in its aim to create greater educational equity in Austria.
Creating opportunities through education and role models
Eva-Maria Holzleitner, Federal Minister for Women, Science and Research, emphasised the importance of financial education for young girls at the event: “Economic independence is the foundation for a self-determined life – and it begins with knowledge. Life choices also have financial implications, and this is where it is important to boost young girls’ self-confidence. The sooner they understand their rights and opportunities, the sooner they will be able to forge their own path later on. This is precisely where initiatives such as ‘Girls Go Finance’ come in: targeting the young women of today who will – and want to – stand on their own two feet financially tomorrow. The fact that this event specifically reaches those schoolgirls who would otherwise have little exposure to financial topics makes it all the more valuable, as access to financial knowledge should not depend on either gender or family background.”
“Following the keen interest shown over the last three years, we have once again organised a ‘Girls Go Finance’ Day here at Kaiserwasser this year, and we are delighted that we have managed to attract even more participants to this topic this year. Unfortunately, it is still the case in Austria that women do not have the same opportunities as men. Women often have a lower lifetime income due to maternity leave, part-time work and the gender pay gap, which inevitably leads to a lower pension. Financial education and building self-confidence are key factors in counteracting this,” said Marion Morales Albiñana-Rosner, explaining the reasons behind organising the event.
Workshops on the topic of finance
The workshops covered a range of finance-related topics, such as financial independence, the gender pay gap, women’s rights, how women manage their finances and investments, how a bank account works, what an exchange rate is, how to spot counterfeit money, and the difference between gross and net pay.
One of the highlights for the young people was the workshop ‘Jumping into life: managing my monthly budget’. In this workshop, the schoolgirls were given various amounts of income and had to draw up a household budget. It wasn’t at all easy for the young participants to agree as a group on how much money to spend on individual items.
Alongside traditional financial topics, there was also a whole block dedicated to phishing, information online and the debt trap. These workshops, some of which were led by external speakers, focused entirely on online safety. The module led by Kathrin Pollak from ORF focused on ‘fake news’, how to spot it and how social media is linked to it. In the session ‘Buy now, pay later’, led by Bettina Pfluger, business editor at the daily newspaper “Der Standard”, the pupils were made aware of the need to exercise caution when it comes to consumer desires and instalment payments.
The third block of workshops covered topics such as appropriate behaviour in a work context and how to use one’s voice and body language effectively. The major theme of sustainability also featured in the programme with the workshop ‘Let’s save the world – girl power for a better future’.
Enthusiastic feedback from the participants
The schoolgirls all found the day exciting and informative. “I thought it was really cool that it was a project just for us girls. We talked a lot about women’s rights and also about how important it is to know how to manage money,” said 14-year-old Selin.
“I really enjoyed the workshop on planning a monthly budget – I had no idea how much everyday things actually cost. It was great that everyone could have their say and that we learnt so many interesting things,” said 13-year-old Elif.
A Teach For Austria Fellow commented: “Many of my pupils have little exposure to the topic of finance in their everyday lives. This made it all the more important that, at ‘Girls Go Finance’, they were able to ask questions and learn new things in a safe environment. It was particularly lovely to see how quickly they opened up and got actively involved – opportunities and spaces like this are essential, especially for young women.”
About Teach For Austria
Teach For Austria is a charity that has been working to promote educational equity in Austria since 2012. Our aim is to select particularly committed and ambitious young professionals and career changers and provide them with intensive training so that they can teach for two years in challenging nurseries and schools. Through their work, our TFA Fellows help to improve the educational opportunities of children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds in the long term. From the 2025/26 school year onwards, Teach For Austria will, for the first time, also be placing TFA Fellows in Vienna’s all-day primary schools.
Enquiries:
UniCredit Bank Austria Media Relations
Matthias Raftl, Phone: +43 (0) 5 05 05-52809;
Email: matthias.raftl@unicreditgroup.at