This document describes various methods used in Poland to promote financial literacy, including: 1) A television game show that tested viewers' financial knowledge and attracted over 8 million viewers. 2) An educational TV ad campaign featuring celebrities that aired over 266 times and increased viewers' financial knowledge by 13.9%. 3) A school program that taught over 220,000 students financial skills and increased their knowledge by 5-11%. 4) An educational website and e-learning platform that provided online courses, games and articles and attracted over 100,000 users monthly.

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Financial
Literacy
in practice
Educational initiatives in Poland Moscow, April 4-5, 2011
The World Bank & Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation
Workshop on Financial Literacy and Financial Consumer Protection

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 The Financial Literacy Campaign is a broad action which
allows to use various models of delivering financial
knowledge
 In
Poland there were many methods used, from simple and
popular to very sophisticated ones, including electronic
delivery tools:

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 This material presents several ways of disseminating
financial knowledge in Poland through popular channels
 We always should have in mind:
people (and financial consumers)
don’t like [boring ☺] talking heads
in any programs. They usually
look either for something very
practical and useful, or for
entertainment

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A television program (single broadcast)

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 „Gold for the Bold – Poles & Money” was a 120 minutes
long dynamic television show on Sunday evening in the
TVN - most popular private television in Poland (February
2006). Viewers had opportunity to test their knowledge on
money and personal finance issues.
 The program was based on a format used by the Dutch TV
producers for such nationwide television shows.
 The test of financial knowledge was addressed to an
average viewer and to make it more attractive, each
question was illustrated by a film material from famous
comedies or cabaret scenes. Just to offer more fun for
viewers.

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 To organize the show a large film studio was rearranged to
host a group of 100 players, media celebrities and
organizers. There were four teams in the studio
competing to get the financial prize. Each team was lead by
two popular TVN celebrity stars.
 There were several fields of economics chosen as test
areas, among them: money and monetary policy, personal
finance (savings and investment).
 The test questions were programmed not solely to deliver
knowledge, but also to offer entertainment and fun to
viewers, and to attract people’s attention to important
personal finance issues.

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 The test competition was not only in the studio but also
online. The main prize was a car sponsored by the car
company.
 Results of the show:
 Main television show – 8 Million viewers;
 Press inserts to popular TV Program weekly, including a test form for
those willing to participate in the test – 800.000 copies;
 10 educational articles in the main Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza and
one of the most important weeklies Wprost,
 The web site www.zloty.onet.pl visited by 250.000 people; 102.000
solved the test online at the same time when program was
broadcast in TVN.

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…and more results:
 Radio programs devoted to personal finance issues in the Polish
Radio Program 3 got on average additional 750.000 listeners.
 A special set of materials was sent out to 2500 high schools. It
comprised a game-like scenario for a lesson on personal finance.
Students were to solve a test in the classroom. In each class four
teams were established to force the competition. Close to 53.000
students completed that test.
 In the promotion campaign in the TVN television altogether 227
advertising spots were broadcast with intensity 50% higher than in
an average advertising campaign.
Effectiveness – Gold for the Bold brought an average increase of
knowledge of 5,62 % (after watching). In a fortnight another test
measured the indicator again - an average increase of knowledge was
2,96 %. Within younger population the increase of knowledge was up to
10,11%.

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A television edu-vertisement campaign

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 There was a 3,5 week educational TV campaign on
personal finance education launched within Christmas
and New Year’s Day period (2006/2007), in four channels of
the TVN television.
 The reason was obvious - to focus on „unpopular” topics
near Christmas time – savings and responsible financial
attitudes, or reasonable spending.
 To get the viewers the ‘eduvertisements’ were prepared -
short interviews with popular media celebrities
prepared, explaining why (and how) they try to save in that
particular time. Each interview was up to 90 seconds and
viewers could easily discover that even famous celebrities
have often similar problems to theirs.

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 The discussion was very practical. It concentrated on
issues that are common for most of us – what is better
– a credit card or money in the wallet, what are benefits
of having a home budget, how to save and invest, what
credit is best for buying a flat, etc.
 These six eduvertisements were broadcast 266 times on
four TV channels of the TVN. People loved that form of
education – an estimated number of people who watched
at least 3 scenes was over 10,5 Million people.
Effectiveness: after watching episodes, the increase of knowledge
among adults was 13,9% (and in a fortnight without watching again
the program 11,8%); the increase of knowledge among young
people was 18,6% (and two weeks later: 19,8%).

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An education campaign

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 Most complex FL program promoting savings
 This action starts in September and ends up in December,
with the International Savings Day (October 31) as the
culmination point for educational efforts (234 schools
involved in the action in 2010)
 Multimedia competitions for students of secondary level
schools (2008-2010) – over 800 educational movies and
250 e-learning presentations devoted to personal finance
issues
 Internet site with significant educational resources on FL,
several mass media programs supporting the SW
Evaluation: pre-test and post-test based on the materials from action
teachers/students – 31% increase of financial knowledge

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A school program

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 The largest FL program in Polish schools with the aim
to prepare young people (age of 17-19) to effective
managing their personal finances
 15 lessons cycle or 3 one-day interclass workshops (the
form of the program at school depends on local situation)
 The teachers were trained for this program in 4 one-day
sessions. Total number of workshops – 504 in first 3 years
 Over 220.000 students participated in the program
(2004-2010); 2.500 teachers were trained to organize
lessons on personal finanse
 Positive results from evaluation: teachers better
prepared to organize lessons on personal finance issues;
average increase of knowledge of participants from 5 to 11%

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A school program (pilot)

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 There are 4 Billion users of mobile phones worldwide
and probably over 1 Billion users of multimedia players (like
iPods of Apple) – most of young people listen to the music or
radio that way.
 A small educational experiment in 2009 was organized in 14
Warsaw schools where pupils (aged 13-15) were asked to
prepare their own podcasts devoted to personal finance
issues, mostly savings and investments
 We have reached a population of 1200 pupils in classrooms
(lower middle school). In a small competition nearly 30
podcasts were presented. This form of FL program has a
great potential too.

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Educational website and e-learning platform

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 The “roof” of educational efforts of the National Bank of
Poland is NBPortal.pl – the Portal for Economic Education –
probably the largest economic education resource worldwide
 Very broad approach: e-learning courses, online games,
multimedia presentations, scenarios for lessons, articles,
economic dictionary = large knowledge base
 NBPortal is quite popular – in the peak period (2006) there
were over 100.000 learners in the e-learning courses and
monthly nearly 100.000 internet users visiting portal
 Target groups of the FL campaign must have a website
where they could find reliable information and
knowledge presented from practical side

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Animation movies in the Internet

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 One of the most popular way of educating students in
middle schools – animation movies, on average 8 minutes
long, each telling a story about a single Economic Term.
Altogether 36 cartoons, financed by the NBP, constitute
the original and unique Multimedia Economic Glossary.
 2004-2007: over 25.000 students took part in educational
projects based on this series.
 Many cartoons devoted to financial issues: credits, savings
and investments, insurance, interest rates, retirement,
electronic payments.

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Interactive educational software

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 A Lesson of Economics is an interactive multimedia
software to assist teachers in lessons of economics and
financial literacy. It was distributed to over 1000 schools
 Schools will have more and more technology in classrooms
but problem is always in software in national language
(other than English) – so teachers do look forward to
educational resources they could use during a lesson
 We believe this software helps our students to understand difficult economic
issues; now they understand better how to start a business activity. Our lessons
are more practical and attractive(...)“ – wrote teachers from Lublin. „I have tested
the software and I know that will be an important tool for me during lessons“ – said
another one. „Very good idea to combine multimedia explaining economic terms
and tests that check students‘ knowledge during a lesson“ – was another of nearly
50 e-mails received from teachers in February 2011.

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Board games

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 Pret-a-porter is a new Polish board game developed
for families. It was an idea from the National Bank of
Poland to launch a game, which could teach families how
to manage money resources in the market
 Players are owners of world’s famous Fashion Houses and
they compete with each other. The winner is a person with
the largest amount of money on the account
 Although the game is about running a company, its value is
in teaching effective methods of investment, planning
and savings – this knowledge can be used by members of
family in day-to-day life

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 Planning the FL campaign it is good to think about it as a kind
of education system (edu-system). Main educational efforts
(for schools or adults) must be supported by many second-
plan initiatives that would strengthen the message of the
campaign
 Remember – age of 12-13 – economic awareness appears
 Good to address educational messages to both economic
awareness layers: deep (through training, formal education)
and shallow (through mass media, edutainment)
 Multiply the message by using different channels and types
of programs in the same time.

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The Coordination Office
journalists
teachers
social networks
families
media
internet
schools
Photos: sxc.hu

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www.economiceducator.eu

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Thank you
Marcin Polak
Futuredu and Think! Institute
Poland
marcin.polak (at) futuredu.pl
www.EconomicEducator.eu
© 2011 Futuredu, Warsaw, Poland