Taylor’s AKPK: A Penny For Your Thoughts (on Saving)? | By Tsang Ching Nam
Known for their passion for all things monetary, Taylor’s AKPK Club hosted an educational event for kids and teenagers from three different refugee-based institutions to learn about the ways of a budget-friendly life. For a concept that gleams with importance, it counts as a life skill that anyone should learn to take home with them or better yet, into the real world.
As expressed by Nee, the president of Taylor’s AKPK Club, “Finance doesn’t always have to be scary, simpler yet fun approaches can be made for others to digest.” she continued to say,“We previously targeted high school kids. This time, we wanted to target the underprivileged. We wanted to give an opportunity for, specifically, refugees to learn also,”
Being AKPK’s first on-campus event, many were understandably thrilled to return to the norm of face-to-face interactions again.
“This event was something I have thought about for quite a while now ever since the first CSR event was pitched by the events and logistics team. It was an exciting one to host physically, given that we wanted to foster as many interactions as possible amongst the participants,” Aza, the editorial director of AKPK, explained.
“This is my first in-person event and I’m so grateful that things are going back to normal,” added Group 2’s facilitator, Guan Zhou.
The event began with an introduction from the emcee, Nazirah, who followed with a warm welcome to all participants, sitting at their tables in groups chaperoned by their respective facilitators.
First in line, it’s no event without an ice-breaking session. This time, in the spirit of reaching new heights, every group was instructed to build the tallest tower they could using recycled papers and a roll of masking tape. Everyone will be working on a get-to-know-each-other basis, where teamwork will slowly shine from attempts at cordial discussion. Each creation will be judged on stability and of course, height, given only fifteen minutes for our rookie architects.
“The kids enjoyed building the towers without knowing anything at first. We wanted to see how the kids would understand each other going in with a more casual approach,” said Aizhah, the vice president of Taylor’s AKPK Club.
Next, a short lecture about the 50/30/20 rule briefly ran through the concept of budgeting and saving. Following the framework, 50% should be spent on needs, 30% on savings, and 20% on wants. Figuring out what to prioritise in terms of ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ seems like an easy task, however, at times, spirited debates may ensue of whether or not an item can fall right in between. This dual theory was put to the test in a fun game. With the concept fresh in mind, each participant will write an item on a post-it that they think fits their personal definition of a ‘want’ or a ‘need’. Everyone was required to stick their post-its on a piece of paper, one side representing ‘wants’ while the other side, ‘needs’.
Everyone did a good job of familiarising the two within a matter of minutes. Arguably, the line does get blurred from time to time, with society having its own twists on a definition, but never forgotten.
We have all least fantasised about a million-dollar idea where our wildest imaginations meet a glimpse of hope. After all, a business wouldn’t be where it is today without its creative take on products. In this activity, each group will take turns drawing lots out of a container to select one out of the four items: a pair of glasses, crayons, a teddy bear and a windbreaker. All groups were given the freedom to sculpt a new potential for these ordinary products. Given only twenty minutes, everyone will need to brainstorm ideas of how their ‘special item’ could be the hottest product on the market today and simultaneously, prepare a pitch that will be presented in front of five judges, who will each give their feedback based on true assessments.
“It came to my surprise that these kids were really well-read and aware of their surroundings, mentioning things like gender inequality and discrimination. It gave us a new perspective of how we could approach the idea of financial literacy to younger kids in the future,” Aza said.
In Group 3, an inspiring product was brought to the table. Arjun, Group 3’s facilitator, mentioned that one of his group members, Ester, who started out as a shy kid, put forth an idea for how they can modify a plain old teddy bear.
“She impressed everyone during the pitching activity. Ester shared how a teddy bear could help her little sister that had social anxiety. She helped Joyous, another youngest group member amongst all,” he reported. The group presented other features on the side, to which the judges grew intrigued by.
Besides that, Arjun also praised the growth of his groups’ camaraderie.
“My group members were shy but I kept asking everyone about themselves throughout the day. That made everyone want to know each other personally and be comfortable with one another despite coming from a different tuition centre,” he said.
This moment is when he realised that his group needed nothing but a push of encouragement for them to strive for the best.
Abdullah, Group 1’s facilitator, engaged with his group members with a similar spirit.
“One thing I found out is that kids may get bored easily. For future similar events, I will make sure to find creative ways to make them not lose interest and get amused all the time,” he mentioned.
Guan Zhou, on the other hand, shared what he learned from working with his group.
“My teammates, regardless of the same age or even smaller than my age, were willing to work together and contribute to the team. I did learn that different people need different communication styles,” he said.
Lastly, Ching Nam, Group 4’s facilitator, poured his final thoughts too.
“I absolutely loved attending this event after being restricted from in-person ones for such a long time. I had fun getting to know everyone by talking to them in-person again,” he said.
As a result, Group 2 ended up with the most points, hence they were awarded with a special gift for their exhibited range of teamwork and creativity, while the remaining participants’ hard work was commemorated in goodie bags.
The event was coming to a close but not without a group photo!
The classroom was a repository filled with passionate ideas, elicited laughs and moments worth looking back on. Although it’s unfortunate to know money is a limited source, it’s comforting to at least acknowledge that that is what makes it so valuable. Through learning to make adept financial decisions, you will see your dollars slowly disappear, all for reasons that are worthwhile. Given the event’s success, Taylor’s AKPK Club plans to launch more on-campus events in the future.
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