Sharjah Girl Guides Workshop Teaches the Value of Money

In a bid to help them develop their financial skills, Sharjah Girl Guides (SGG) has held a workshop for Brownies on the benefits and pitfalls of managing budgets and how to make essential decisions on spending and saving.

The ‘Finance Initiative’, which included 30 brownies over three one-day sessions, covered crucial topics such as how their attitudes and lifestyle patterns can influence their spending habits and how to budget, save and invest – vital life skills for the future.

Among the sessions, the Brownies, aged between 7-11 learnt how to define ‘wants’ versus ‘needs’ and make decisions based on their priorities in achieving short-term and long-term goals. In turn, that was refined further to differentiate between ‘goals‘ and ‘dreams’, identifying short-term benefits as quick returns and a boost in confidence while the long-term advantages included developing endurance, perseverance, and patience.

With some time spent working with partners, sessions titled ‘Make a Budget Work for You’ and ‘Ways to Pay’, the participants explored different forms of payment including cash, cheques and credit and debit cards.

Shaikha Abdelaziz Al Shamsi, Manager of SGG, said: “Understanding personal finances is one of the most important – and sadly most overlooked – lessons that young people can learn in order to prepare them for a solid and prosperous grounding in later life.”

“There are many adults who wish that they had this insight into money, spending and saving when they were young. Through this initiative, Sharjah Girl Guides is investing in the future by ensuring that the next generation understands and appreciates the value of money, its mechanics and its potential.”

Brownies who took part in the courses, which were held on Jan 20th, Jan 27th and Feb 3rd were working towards their Social Skills badge.

Sharjah’s guiding movement was first established in 1973, after which it spread across the emirates, giving rise to the Girl Guides Association of the United Arab Emirates in 1979. Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, SGG aims to inspire and nurture future generations to become progressive global citizens by providing a platform for girls to develop to their fullest potential.