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Hart House, Dialogue and Expression, Black Futures in partnership with the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology at UTM.
Overview
This 5-week program seeks to empower students from equity-seeking groups and the BIPOC community with the ability to navigate barriers and understand their personal finances within current socio-economic structures. The series will also give students the opportunity to ask questions and demand change for greater access and equal opportunity to financial literacy knowledge.
Have you ever wanted to invest, but didn’t know where to start? Do you have financial goals that you want to reach, but don’t know what steps to take? The Wealth Building Sessions will dive into relevant topics such as foundations of financial literacy, entrepreneurship and side hustles, investment 101, crypto currencies, personal finance management, debt reduction, budgeting and future planning. This promises to be a once in a lifetime experience and a unique way to learn about personal finances and community wealth building!
Dr. Radha Maharaj aka Dr. M. will be leading this exciting 5-part workshop series and sharing her considerable economic and financial literacy knowledge and life experience with students in an engaging and activity-based format.
Set yourself up for success while learning in a supportive and beginner friendly space. U of T students who complete all sessions will receive CCR approval, Certificate of Completion. Limited Space Available.
Instructor
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Dr. Radha Maharaj a.k.a. Dr. M.
Dr. M is a financial facilitator and a merchant of imagination. She teaches people of all ages core economic and financial concepts to empower them to make better decisions to have a more secure and prosperous life. She provides avenues regardless of age or knowledge for you to practice and implement these concepts in your daily life. Her books, talks and lectures take common sense to the next level.
Dr. M has a PhD in Economics and currently teaches finance at the University of Toronto, Mississauga campus. She is an actively engaged with working with Toronto’s youth community around financial literacy is the successful author of the The Kidonomics Series of children’s books.
Session Format
In each of the sessions described below, participants will engage in participatory engagement activities such as call and response, media exposure and self-directed exercises to facilitate an embodied understanding of the concepts being covered.
Participants will have a chance to express their creativity by utilizing various modalities to explain what they learn from the process, the impact that this information has on their financial decision making and what actions they will take to work towards their financial goals. These reflections will provide an avenue for participants to challenge and “battle” the social-economic paradigm which currently informs their financial decision making.
Session Breakdown
Back to Basics: Foundational Principles of Finance
In this module participants will review the building blocks necessary for establishing a strong financial base. In so doing participants will study the financial behaviour and concepts required to establish a positive net worth. International perspectives on financial literacy and financial practice will also be discussed.
Get your Side Hustle On: Entrepreneurship
This module will cover entrepreneurship competence and opportunity identification competency. Participants will explore the entrepreneurial mindset and requisite communication and leadership skills required to be a successful entrepreneur. Participants will learn the importance of creating and maintaining effective business plans.
Investment 101
Investing is a core aspect of building a strong financial base. In this module, participants will engage in a simulation to build their own portfolio. Through the simulation participants will learn to find stocks and perform various trades. The simulations will provide participants a cursory understanding of the risks and rewards of dealing with the stock market.
Cryptocurrencies For Beginners
In this module participants will examine the difference between fiat and fiduciary money. This will set the foundation for understanding what the block chain technology is and how it enables cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to be used as a medium of exchange.
Let’s Plan: Personal Finance Management
In this module participants will develop their own financial plan to meet their short, medium, and long-term needs. In the process of financial planning, participants will review and learn budgeting and debt reduction strategies that are pertinent to their current stage of life.
Presentation and Certificates
Partners
