In our daily lives, we consume a range of goods and services, news, role models and even ideologies. Our children, from a very young age, are exposed to a well-orchestrated ’’pressure’’ by marketing experts of consumption and mimicry. They are at risk of often falling victim to successful advertising campaigns or of experiencing financial stress and failure to manage their finances.
In our educational module “Consuming smart”, children learn how to become conscious consumers. They are informed about the products, that is, how a product from raw material takes its final form and reaches their possession. They become familiar with concepts and situations such as sustainability, social responsibility, the advertising world, smart shopping, imitation of consumer behaviors, etc. In this way, children acquire useful consumer skills and habits, learning to protect themselves from wrong choices and at the same time learning to utilize certain institutions, such as “Consumer Protection” when they will need support.
Faced regularly with various pressures, mainly from their peers, children are often led to consumerism. They tend to imitate choices and behaviors as they want to belong somewhere. They desire to feel more ‘accepted’ and look ‘cool’ in the eyes of others. As literature explains, a cool attitude is a constant negotiation between adjusting and monitoring the trend and on the other hand, following their own path.
But all this can easily lead to stress. So in the Woli Academy, children also become familiar with the concepts of financial stress and financial well-being. Two concepts that are directly related to their consumer choices and the way they spend their money. They are taught how to recognize the symptoms of financial stress and how to manage it successfully. At the same time, they practice and learn how to behave, using various instructions and useful tools, so that they finally manage to gain their personal and financial well-being
