Fidelity’s partnership with Invest in Girls is changing lives

POSTED: October 28, 2019 | BY: brendan

By Sponsored Content

Post by Fidelity Investments, a sponsor of our 58th Annual Financial Literacy & Economic Education Conference.

Whether through Invest In Girls (IIG) workshops, which teach financial concepts to 10th, 11th and 12th grade girls, role model exchange which provides mentors from the finance and financial services sectors or industry exposure trips which offer experiential learning for girls, partnering with the Council for Economic Education has allowed Fidelity Investments to positively impact the lives of hundreds girls.

At Fidelity Investments we think differently about community. Our focus of helping people prepare for the lives they want to live goes beyond “one and done” volunteer activities and includes more than our customers. It is core to our commitment to financial literacy. We believe that when people have access to financial knowledge, they are more confident, can make better decisions and achieve better outcomes in their lives and the lives of their families.

We also believe in collaborating with best in class non-profits to make a difference for school-age children in the areas of education and financial literacy. Our relationship with Invest in Girls (IIG) through the Council for Economic Education (CEE), provides an opportunity to impact the future for young women both in careers in financial services and personal finances.

According to the Girl Scouts Research Institute, only 12 percent of girls feel comfortable making financial decisions making IIG’s mission to create the first generation of financially literate women and increase the numbers of women in finance critical.

Invest in Girls students visiting the Fidelity Investments offices on an industry trip.

Fidelity has been a long-time supporter and partner of the efforts to tackle the gender gap in financial literacy and the financial services industry, partnering with IIG in the Boston area since the group’s inception. In 2019 Fidelity joined CEE to introduce IIG to high school girls in Westlake, TX by hosting one day of a week-long summer camp focused on financial literacy and careers in finance.

Girls like Keyona Duncan. “I have never been a big fan of mathematics, but IIG changed that,” said Keyona. “What caught my interest the most, was actually interest. I learned that money could add upon itself—which is a good thing if you hold your money in a savings account long enough.”

Now a student at Quincy College, Keyona credits her participation in IIG with not only influencing her decision to major in accounting, but also impacting her confidence as a leader. “The fact that IIG was just for girls and taught by a woman made it a very comfortable learning environment for me. I don’t feel like I have to hold back as a female, because I’m in control of what I want to happen to me.”

The Invest in Girls program also connects Fidelity employees to meaningful volunteer opportunities in the areas of education and financial literacy.

Madeleine Mitchell volunteers throughout the school year sharing personal finance lessons and career insights, and as a member of Fidelity’s employee resource group, WLG – Women’s Leadership Group – is passionate about empowering women and girls to take control of their personal finances.

“Promoting financial literacy for women and introducing women to careers in financial services are extremely important and personal for me,” said Madeleine, director of fixed income trading and infrastructure products. “Many young women have the skills needed to excel in financial services but are not drawn to the profession because they think they won’t ‘fit in’ – a classic case of the imposter syndrome. I was one of these women in college, and it was only when I was introduced to women in financial services who would come to serve as role models for me that I started to see a path for myself in the industry. I’m passionate about helping other girls to have this same experience.”

Like Madeleine and CEE, Fidelity believes that every girl should feel financially empowered and changing the way girls think about money and careers in financial services is key in creating lasting change for the next generation. That’s why Fidelity is pleased to continue our partnership with CEE to identify additional regions to expand the IIG program.

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Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC , 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917 Council for Economic Education is not affiliated with Fidelity Brokerage Services, member NYSE, SIPC or its affiliates.
Invest in Girls is not affiliated with Fidelity Brokerage Services, member NYSE, SIPC or its affiliates.

The post Fidelity’s partnership with Invest in Girls is changing lives appeared first on Council for Economic Education.

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