Initiatives for Children and Youth
- Increasing Financial Literacy
- SDGs and Sustainability Education
- Initiatives for Child and Youth Poverty
Increasing Financial Literacy
There is a growing need for youth to acquire knowledge and awareness of finance along with decision-making capabilities (financial literacy) following Japan’s move to lower the age of majority and now that “asset formation” is a required component of high school education.
The Resona Group has been offering various forms of financial and economic education since 2005 as part of its program to increase financial literacy.
Results in FY2022 (as of the end of March 2023)
| Number of times held | 205 |
|---|---|
| Number of participants | 2,634 |
- *Total for outreach classes, workplace experiences, Economics Koshien, Resona and Mirai Kids’ Money Academy, Resona Online Kids’ Money Academy, and Resona Teens’ Money Academy
- *Aggregated on a reporting basis
Resona's Philosophy of Financial and Economic Education for Children
Fostering the children with basic human skills who will lead the next generation
- One thing we must face in life is the way to deal with money.
- We believe that the way to deal with money is to learn where the money that provides our livelihood comes from and where it goes, and to learn the significance of working and earning money, the importance of work and the importance of money.
- After understanding the flow of money, we will take it one step further and teach how to deal with money as a basic human skills to make their dreams come true by understanding the economic trends and the mechanism of finance.
Contributing to create children's development opportunities with local communities
- The opportunity to acquire a variety of literacy skills in the real world is very important children's rights.
- The variety of literacies are provided by various organizations such as companies and NPOs and we believe that learning about interrelationships among them in a three-dimensional manner will lead to the power of life.
- As a financial institution that plays an important role in revitalizing the local communities, we will contribute as a coordinator that connects various stakeholders that surround us and create opportunities to foster children with the local communities.
Developing as a bottom-up activity that leads to sustainable development of the company
- As a part of our corporate social responsibility activities, we need to ensure that our activities contribute to the sustainable development of the company.
- Through this activity, which was born from the voices of employees, most of the employees who are responsible for this activity have felt a sense of accomplishment and improved communication within the workplace, which is difficult to obtain in their normal work, and this has become the driving force for the growth of this activity.
- Through this continuous and proactive activity, we aim to improve employee motivation and achieve sustainable development of the company.
Resona and Mirai Kids' Money Academy
The Resona and Mirai Kids’ Money Academy, a seminar that teaches elementary school students about the role of banks and the importance of money through original quizzes and games developed by employees, is held during summer break at our nationwide branches or online. Since its inception in 2005, more than 40,000 children have taken part over the past 15 years, making it a summertime tradition of the Resona Group.
Results in FY2022
| Number of times held | 146 |
|---|---|
| Participants | 1,816 |
- *Includes Online Kids’ Money Academy
Resona Teens' Money Academy
In 2018, we started Resona Teens’ Money Academy for junior high school students, where Resona Group employees visit junior high schools in their community to teach classes on finance and the economy using original curriculum, offering a unique perspective as bankers.
With the objective of fostering the ability to live independently in society, classes involve slideshow presentations, dialogue and group work involving the mechanisms of finance and the economy actually at work in the world to teach participants to have a good relationship with money.
Results in FY2022 (as of the end of March 2023)
| Number of times held | 6 |
|---|---|
| Participants | 175 |
Economics Koshien
Working with the NPO Association for the Promotion of Financial Literacy, we held four regional tournaments for the Economics Koshien, a finance and economy quiz tournament for high school students nationwide, at venues in Tokyo, Saitama, Osaka and Shiga. By answering questions about the actual economy, the tournament serves as an opportunity for students to not only gain knowledge, but also recognize the importance of literacy required for living in society.
In FY2022, we held the Tokyo, Saitama, Osaka and Shiga tournaments online.
Results in FY2022
| Teams | 65 |
|---|---|
| Participants | 130 |
- *Total for the four tournaments (Tokyo, Saitama, Osaka and Shiga)
Outreach Lectures and Collaborative Lectures
We host lectures for university students covering such topics as preventing financial troubles and asset formation, practice classes for students aspiring to become teachers, and lectures through industry-government-academia collaboration.
Participants learned about how to utilize their knowledge in their lives and in education of the future using simulations and case studies.
SDGs and Sustainability Education
The Resona Group is focusing on educational activities in the area of sustainability for children, who will serve as the future leaders of society. With Japan’s new teaching guidelines requiring education for sustainable development (ESD), we will use our presence as a financial institution deeply rooted in local communities to convey the relationship between sustainability and economic activities along with issues and materiality, contributing to the development of human resources who play a key role in the sustainable society of the future.
Collaborative Lectures and Endowed Lectures with Universities
We host collaborative lectures and endowed lectures with universities covering such topics as the SDGs initiatives of companies and investors as well as local economies.
Main Host Schools and Topics in FY2022-FY2023
| Kansai University |
SDGs as Seen from Finance Shared the basic concepts, aims, and objectives of ESG and SDGs, for which finance plays an important role, along with practical operations such as investment and management. |
|---|---|
| Kwansei Gakuin University |
*Lecture on the topic of local economies, etc. and matching with presenting companies. Minato Bank also held some lectures on financial institution theory, etc. |
| Saitama University |
Introduction to Local Finance and Regional Revitalization Under the topic of regional revitalization, participants learned about the efforts of companies and organizations in “Regions and Finance,” “Regions and Industries,” and “Regions and Governments” (in addition to Saitama Resona Bank, Companies and local governments in the prefecture presented). |
| Sophia University |
SDGs Issues and New Possibilities: From the Viewpoint of Companies and Investors Explored corporate issues and responses to realize a sustainable society, and examined practical problem solving. |
| University of Hyogo |
Strategy and Management of Local Companies Participants learned about the characteristics, changes, and strategies of the market from companies in the prefecture, and examined corporate business activities and contributions to the local community (in addition to Minato Bank, companies in the prefecture presented to encourage people to work in Hyogo Prefecture). |
Lecture at Saitama University
Lecture at Sophia University
SDGs Idea Contest
We hold the Resona SDGs Idea Contest for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as vocational students, to call for innovative ideas that contribute to solving environmental and social issues. This also supports students' spirit of tackling new challenges from the unique perspective of a financial institution.
Other Initiatives with Local Communities and Educational Institutions
We provide education on the SDGs in cooperation with local communities and educational institutions in various ways. For example, we cooperate with the Waku Waku Doki Doki SDGs Junior Project led by the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education to nurture SDGs ideas among junior high school students, accepting company visits from local junior high and high school students on SDGs exploratory learning, and conducting SDGs presentations as part of training for teachers and staff at the request of local boards of education.
Learning Tools for Students
A portion of the donations made through the SDGs Promotion Private Placement Bonds offered by the Group are used for the printing and distribution of supplementary teaching materials covering the SDGs prepared by the Japan Committee for UNICEF. This initiative has been ongoing every year since 2018. In 2023, these materials will be distributed to around 11,000 junior high schools and special needs schools.
Initiatives for Child and Youth Poverty
Resona YOUTH BASE
Saitama Resona Bank has opened Resona YOUTH BASE in an unused space at its branch as a place where youth can spend time with peace of mind. This space is lent out free of charge for the learning assistance programs run by local child-support organizations. Employee volunteers participate and interact with youth, and we also hold events there in cooperation with business partners.
Food Drives
We organize food drives where branch employees take the lead in donating non-perishable food and other unwanted items from their home to local children. Our participation in volunteer activities to sort donated items and ongoing food drive initiatives have led to community-wide support initiatives, such as the participation of local customers.
Initiatives for Young Carers
Saitama Resona Bank holds study sessions for employees to deepen their understanding of young carers* as part of its awareness-raising activities in conjunction with Saitama Carer Month. In addition, young carers are featured on displays at branches, and a system is being created throughout branches to watch over local youth.
*Young carers are youth under the age of 18 who are caring for a parent or grandparent with disabilities or illnesses, younger siblings, etc. while commuting to school or working. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the importance of supporting young carers.
Initiatives Through Our Employee Cafeterias
The Resona Group’s employee cafeterias donate 20 yen from every eligible healthy menu item. The employee cafeterias at the Resona Group headquarters (Tokyo and Osaka) participate in the TABLE FOR TWO initiative, where these donations are used to purchase school lunches in developing countries. To date, we have raised more than 20 million yen in donations. Saitama Resona Bank has been donating to the Children's Cafeteria and Future Support Fund since FY2020. These donations are used to create places where youth in Saitama can hang out, such as children's cafeterias, free tutoring schools, and multi-generational exchange centers. To date, Saitama Resona Bank has raised more than 1.3 million yen in donations.
* The Tokyo Head Office has suspended menu provision due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
