Needham Bank Pleased To Deliver Personal Finance Skills to NHS Students

NEEDHAM, MA—Needham Bank was a proud participant in Needham High School’s first-ever Life Skills Conference, a three-day event which saw community members teaching a range of essential skills to the school’s senior class.

Needham Bank was represented by Erica Shom, who conducted six personal finance sessions for students to help them prepare for their real-world life as an adult.

“This was a tremendous opportunity for students to learn to navigate the sometimes confusing world of banking and finance, “said Shom, who has been working at Needham Bank in a community relations role for five years. “We covered everything from checking and savings accounts to credit and debit cards. I think students were especially interested in learning about the role technology can play and the fact that a lot of financial activity today can be handled by an app on a smart phone”.

Shom serves as a liaison with charitable organizations in the Bank’s nine branch towns to provide support and partnership between Needham Bank and the community. Part of that role includes working with area schools to teach financial literacy to students, helping them avoid potential pitfalls and gain an understanding of the basics of personal finance before going off to college.

“This Conference was a perfect opportunity for Needham Bank to do what it does best – engage with the community,” said Shom. “Over the past several years we have been reaching out to young people in Needham and elsewhere, recognizing they represent the future for our economy.”

According to organizers, the idea for the conference emerged last year, when four seniors in the Greater Boston Project- a class at NHS in which students are tasked with solving real-world problems- surveyed their classmates about what was causing them stress as they prepared to graduate. They learned that while most students felt OK about academics, the feeling was not the same when it came to life skills.

Following that survey, the seniors pitched the idea for a conference to NHA administrators, who partnered with the Substance Prevention Alliance of Needham (SPAN) and Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital to make the event a reality. Needham Bank quickly signed on as a partner and sponsor.