APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) — A Fox Valley teenager is getting national attention for her efforts in teaching financial literacy to people with disabilities.
When a family friend of 16-year-old Paige Givens fell victim to financial fraud, Givens was inspired to spring into action.
“I really saw a need in my community for financial literacy education for those with intellectual disabilities,” Givens told WTAQ. “I wanted to come up with a really fun way to help.”
So Givens, an incoming Junior at Appleton North High School, hit the drawing board and came up with her idea: SuperConsumers. An easy-to-play board game in which your pieces advance across the table in a race to the finish–while learning important financial literacy lessons along the way.
“You roll the die and whatever square you land on, the color matches the color of a card, and there are 5 different categories,” Givens explained. “Each asks about a different type of financial literacy.”
Givens–then just 15–ran a number of focus groups before the game came out to refine the rules and design.
“Someone might land on the ‘Wants and Needs Walrus’,” she said. “The ‘Wants and Needs Walrus’ asks about an item and it asks you whether that’s a want or a need.”
Cookies, for example, would be a ‘want’ the Walrus might ask about. Another card might ask you the value of certain coins or bills.
Givens was one of several teenagers selected for US Cellular’s “Future of Good” campaign. She received a $10,000 grant, which she’ll be using in part to print more copies of the game.
As for her future, Givens says that while she hasn’t decided yet on where to go to college, she’s considering pursuing a career in finance.
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