After a summer filled with learning, laughter, creativity and plenty of fun, we’ve officially wrapped up our time at Girls Inc. Summer Camp. Over the past couple of months, the Ellafi team had the opportunity to spend every Friday with the campers, helping introduce important financial concepts through activities designed to make learning about money approachable, interactive and, most importantly, fun.
As a credit union focused on empowering women and helping build stronger financial futures, we believe financial education should start early. Understanding how to make thoughtful decisions with money is a skill that can benefit someone throughout their entire life. Our time at Girls Inc. gave us the opportunity to introduce some of those foundational lessons while creating experiences the campers could enjoy and remember.
Throughout the summer, our financial education activities centered around three simple ideas: Spend, Save and Share.
These three concepts may seem simple, but they are the foundation for many of the financial decisions we make throughout our lives. Understanding how to spend thoughtfully, save for something you want or need, and share with others can help build healthy financial habits from an early age.
Our goal wasn't to make the campers financial experts. Instead, we wanted to give them a foundation they could carry with them as they grow. We wanted them to understand that money is a tool, and learning how to make choices with that tool can help them reach their goals and build confidence.
And, of course, we wanted to have a lot of fun along the way!
Christmas in July: Learning the Value of Saving
One of our summer activities brought a little holiday spirit to the middle of summer with Christmas in July.
The activity gave campers an opportunity to think about saving, planning ahead and making choices about how they use their money. Saving for something special can be an exciting experience, especially when you have a goal in mind.
Whether you're saving for a holiday gift, a new toy, an activity with friends or a much bigger goal later in life, the basic concept is the same: setting something aside today can help you reach something you want tomorrow.
Introducing that idea early can help children begin to understand the value of patience and planning. It also shows them that big goals don't always happen all at once. Sometimes, they start with small steps.
Turning Lemons into Financial Lessons
Our Lemonade Stand Activity was another summer highlight.
The campers had the opportunity to explore what goes into earning and managing money by creating and selling their own lemonade. It was a fun, hands-on way to introduce concepts like earning, spending, planning and decision-making.
Running a lemonade stand might seem simple, but it can teach some pretty valuable lessons. There are decisions about what you need to get started, how much to charge, how much you might earn and what you want to do with the money you make.
It also introduced the idea that earning money can involve creativity, effort and teamwork.
Most importantly, the activity gave campers an opportunity to experience financial concepts instead of simply hearing about them. They were able to make decisions, see the results and learn along the way.
Plus, it was a pretty great way to spend a summer Friday!
Learning to Make Thoughtful Purchases
We also spent time talking about purchasing goods and what it means to make smart choices when spending money.
Spending is a normal and important part of managing money, but knowing how to spend thoughtfully is an important skill. We encouraged campers to think about what they want, what they need and how they can make choices that align with their goals.
These are lessons that can grow with them.
As children become teenagers and eventually adults, they'll have more responsibility for their own financial decisions. They'll make choices about everything from everyday purchases to larger expenses and long-term goals.
Helping them practice making those decisions early can give them the confidence to make informed choices later.
Financial education isn't about telling someone exactly how they should spend their money. It's about giving them the knowledge and confidence to make those decisions for themselves.
Plenty of Summer Fun Along the Way
While financial education was an important part of our time at Girls Inc., we also wanted to make sure we enjoyed everything that makes summer camp so much fun.
We played Bingo and, of course, had plenty of laughs along the way. Those moments were just as important to us as the lessons.
Every Friday gave us an opportunity to connect with the campers outside of our usual work environment. We got to see their personalities, hear their questions and ideas, cheer them on and simply enjoy being part of their summer.
By the end of the summer, Fridays at Girls Inc. had become something our team genuinely looked forward to each week.
Why Financial Education Matters
Our time at Girls Inc. reinforced something we believe strongly at Ellafi: it's never too early to start building financial confidence.
Financial education isn't just about understanding numbers. It's about developing the skills and confidence to make decisions.
Young people will eventually face decisions about earning, spending, saving, borrowing, education, careers and long-term goals. The more comfortable they are talking about money and thinking through financial decisions, the more prepared they can be when those responsibilities become their own.
Simple lessons today can become healthy habits tomorrow.
Learning to save can help develop patience and goal-setting. Learning to spend thoughtfully can encourage better decision-making. Learning about earning can introduce the connection between work and money. And learning to share can help demonstrate the importance of generosity and community.
These are lessons that can grow right alongside them.
For Ellafi, financial education is especially meaningful because of our focus on helping women and their allies build greater financial wellness and independence. We believe everyone deserves access to the knowledge and resources they need to feel confident about their financial future, and that journey can begin at any age.
A Summer We'll Remember
As our time at Girls Inc. Summer Camp comes to an end, we're incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have been part of the campers' summer.
From Christmas in July and our lemonade stand activity to learning about purchasing goods, playing Bingo and enjoying all the other fun camp activities, every Friday gave us something to look forward to.
Most importantly, we had so much fun.
We loved spending time with the campers, getting to know them and seeing their excitement each week. Their energy, curiosity and enthusiasm made every Friday special, and we hope they enjoyed having us at camp as much as we enjoyed being there.
A big thank you to Girls Inc. for welcoming Ellafi into camp this summer and giving us the opportunity to share these experiences with the campers. We're grateful for the chance to contribute to their summer while helping introduce important financial concepts in a fun and memorable way.
And to all of the campers: thank you for making our Fridays so much fun!
We'll definitely miss our time at Girls Inc., but we're leaving with plenty of great memories and one message we hope stays with the campers long after summer is over:
Spend thoughtfully. Save for what matters. Share with others. And remember, it's never too early to start building your financial future.