FIS Group and Philadelphia Youth Basketball

As part of our continued and passionate commitment to enhancing the financial security of our clients, employees and community, FIS Group has partnered with local organization Philadelphia Youth Basketball (PYB) through its foundation, A Good Measure, which was founded by FIS in 2006 to support individuals and organizations that educate youth and work to improve the lives of marginalized women and children.

Earlier this month, members of the FIS team visited Temple University to participate in PYB’s Collegiate Summer Camp Series (CSCS), which is a 7-week immersive summer camp where children grades 4 through 7 are aided by trained coaches in developing both on-court and off-court skills though academic modules centered around social issues. The mission of the FIS team was to engage the students in a conversation about financial literacy and introduce them to concepts such as banking, investing, and stocks.

We started together with a brief review of financial markets and literacy, where the kids where able to demonstrate their prior knowledge before breaking off into smaller groups for an interactive exercise that revolved around stock ownership. In the exercise, the kids were able to select a company that they wanted to invest in, and while Nike seemed to be the most popular option, some especially ambitious students asked if they could simply start their own companies.

After making their selections, they were able to use iPads provided by FIS to search for ticker symbols, opening prices and closing prices. Even though FIS volunteers had prepared a curriculum and worksheets for the sessions, many of the students had their own questions and curiosities, asking team members about where they had chosen to invest their own money and how to start a company. Some students even had their own financial tricks to share with their peers, such as one 12-year-old boy who shared with us how he became “rich” by saving all his birthday money for the last few years in his piggy bank, and another who shared with us his desire to invest in small, relatively unknown companies. All in all it was a truly engaging and rewarding experience for the students and the FIS team members alike. We look forward to our next session with PYB at La Salle University on August 7 and continuing to financially empower Philadelphia's young people.