Citi's Financial Education Program   Highlights March 2007   United States   Citibank Helps out in the Bay Area Citibank presented $98,500 in charitable contributions from the Citi Foundation to 30 non-profit organizations in the Greater Bay Area. The grants were presented at a reception held near Citibank's Western Division headquarters in San Francisco. Through Citibank's Financial Center Grant Program, the Citi Foundation helps local nonprofits focused on community development, education, health and human services, and culture to carry out programs to improve living standards in neighborhoods around the financial centers. Employees in the centers are involved in the program, and their community involvement together with the grants help address important needs in their neighborhoods. Since 2000, 2,750 grants totaling over $7,272,000 have been awarded to community groups nationwide through this program. Citibank's Financial Center Grant program is one of many Citi community support programs designed to improve education, revitalize communities, encourage small business growth and more. In total in 2006, the Citi Foundation awarded $5.6 million in grants to 346 California nonprofits and Citi businesses awarded $3.3 million in sponsorships to 323 California nonprofits. In addition, through Citi's Employee Volunteer Program, more than 45,000 employees volunteered in over 800 projects in 100 countries last year. U.S. Department of the Treasury in Washington, D.C. – Roundtable On March 20, Citi participated in a roundtable discussion on financial education for Native American communities at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in Washington, D.C. Jerry Nachtigal, Citi Cards in Sioux Falls, S.D. discussed Citibank South Dakota’s efforts to bring financial education to Native Americans in South Dakota through its relationships with non profit and schools serving this community. In addition he advised the attendees on how nonprofits across the nation can apply for financial education grants benefiting Native Americans through the Citi Foundation. SURVEY OF NORTH CAROLINA MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS FIND MAJORITY DON’T KNOW THE ABC’S OF MONEY Citi helped support “$kill $et,” a survey developed by the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction, the NC Department of State Treasurer’s Office Richard Moore, The Citi Office of Financial Education and Topics Educations, with support from StateStreet/CitiStreet and CitiFinancial. The survey found that the majority of students in middle school do not know the basics about saving, credit, debt and other consumer financial matters. Volunteers from CitiFinancial, CitiFinancial Retail, and Topics Education as well as volunteers from the NC State Treasurer’s Office administered the survey in March. More than 3,000 students in grades 6-8 in 19 schools across NC participated in the survey and the majority of students were only able to answer 45 to 55 percent of the questions correctly. As a follow-up to the $kill$et survey, CitiFinancial volunteers have developed grade appropriate Financial Education programs that will be conducted weekly in many schools that were involved in the survey. The students will also take a “pre/post” test to evaluate the effectiveness of the programs. Mexican American Legal Defense Fund / Mexican Hometown Associations In March, Citi completed a facilitator train the trainer program using the Spanish language curriculum. The training incorporated elements of the Financial Education curriculum guide and emphasized the importance of financial planning. Attendees who completed the full training will conduct outreach in their own communities and expect to train up to 100 people each. U.S. Financial Education Training To date, over 5,600 employees and non-profit partner staff have undergone training to teach financial education using the Citi Financial Education Curriculum. Nearly 3,500 people have participated in the online training since the April 2005 launch of the site Latin America   Citibank Colombia Expects to Reach 1,200 Students in 2007 with Banks in Action Program This year, Citibank expects to reach 1,200 students, from 40 local schools through the "Banks in Action" program. The local tournament will begin in March and will end in November. The winner, who will receive training from one of the 120 volunteers of the Colombian Enterprise Foundation, will have the opportunity to participate in a regional tournament abroad, along with the other Latin American schools. Banks in Action is a simulation of the banking business in which students consider the effects of changes in interest rates, both short and long term, and examine marketing, research and development techniques. Citi Foundation & Junior Achievement Deliver "Banks in Action Program" in Trinidad & Tobago For the third consecutive year, the Citi Foundation has awarded a $25,000 grant to Junior Achievement of Trinidad and Tobago, to continue the "Banks in Action" (BIA) program in local secondary schools. BIA, first introduced in 2005 to secondary school students in Trinidad and Tobago, through the partnership of JA and Citi, provides students with challenges such as operating a financial service institution in a competitive environment. ASIA   Taiwan - Citi Reveals Findings of MQ (Money Quotient) Survey On March 16, Citi Taiwan and its community partner, EduCities, revealed findings of the MQ (Money Quotient) survey illustrating the lack of financial education training elementary students receive. EduCities conducted the first ever MQ survey of elementary students via the Internet over a two-month period, and collected 2,548 results from Taiwan. Key findings- 45% of schoolchildren learned Financial Education from their parents and 18% of learned how to manage money from their teachers; 65% either didn’t have a savings account, or had one but didn’t use it. Most students have a basic knowledge of personal financial management - 85% were aware that banks charge interest on loans, and 91% knew that payment in a credit card purchase occurred after the transaction was made. 88% understood ATM functions included withdrawals, transfers and balance inquiries. The survey also revealed that nearly 40% of the children kept financial records. In 2006, Citi Taiwan and EduCities jointly launched the Citi Internet Financial Education Program. The program teaches children financial basics such as saving, banking and understanding needs versus wants. The initiative incorporates many features including cartoons and online classes managed by EduCities, a popular Internet platform for children. More than 18,000 school children have participated in the Internet course in its first year. Japan   MESE (Management and Economic Simulation Exercise) On March 17, the Management and Economic Simulation Exercise (MESE) final contest was conducted at Citi Center in Tokyo. MESE is a computer-simulated program that aims to develop students' decision-making skills for business; it was developed in Japan by Citi and Junior Achievement. Citi has sponsored the contest since 1998. In this year's competition, 8 teams (16 students) out of 296 teams (890 students) succeeded in making it to the final contest. The winner will be awarded a trip to NY, including a visit to Citi’s headquarters. EMEA   Retail Financial Services for the Young Adult Market conference March 29-30, Dara Duguay- Director Citi's Office of Financial Education- spoke at the Retail Financial Services for the Young Adult Market conference in London. This conference focused on building relationships with youth through innovation, marketing, communication and product development. Duguay was the opening speaker and delivered the keynote address on "Why should your financial institution address the importance of financial education to the young adult market." The conference attendees came from throughout Europe and represented most of the major financial services companies. First European Commission on Financial Literacy "Increasing Financial Capability." On March 28, Dara Duguay- Director Citi's Office of Financial Education- spoke at the first ever European Commission on Financial Literacy in Brussels. The one day summit was titled, "Increasing Financial Capability." Duguay spoke on the second panel in front of 500 participants from across Europe. Her presentation was on Citi's financial education strategy. In particular the conference requested the presentation focus on Citi's financial education efforts in Europe in the Small Business financial education arena. Citi was the only corporation on the agenda along with representatives from government agencies and NGOs. Greece- "Economy: Knowledge with Value" Elementary school children in Thessaloniki participated in Citibank's Financial Education Program "Economy: Knowledge with Value." The program was implemented with the cooperation of the Hellenic Children's Museum and highlighted children’s understanding of the value of money. In total, 30 courses were administered and attended by more than 750 students. The educational program is divided into 3 sub-programs depending on the age group. Concepts such as need and desire, how to prioritize and manage money, advertising and consumer risks are introduced and discussed. Through role-playing students take on the role of elected officials, managing similar governmental problems and granting economic support to other countries based on their judgment. During the three years of the Financial Education Program, more than 25,000 students from Athens, Thessaloniki, Larissa, Patras and Herakleion, have attended.