"From Yunus Little Boss to learn sustainability and financial management with fun"

(中央社訊息服務20240108 17:14:11)At the end of 2023, A special Christmas event "Yunus Little Boss” came at Yunus Story House in Taichung. It invited children from age 8-12 to learn about financial concepts and experience art & crafts activities. The knowledge acquired was directly applied to selling handmade products after class. During the event, participants learned about the establishment of the Grameen Bank, founded by Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, and heard compelling stories of poverty and vulnerability. They understood the meaning of the three-zero sustainability goals: zero carbon emissions, zero poverty, and zero unemployment. The aim was to sow the seeds of hope in children’s mind, implementing it firmly in education.

The financial class invited Teacher Zeng Ming Teng, a winner of the SUPER Teacher Award, to impart knowledge on entrepreneurship, preparation for opening a store, cost management, and product pricing. The interactive teaching style encourages children to eagerly respond to the teacher's questions. The sustainable art & crafts experience was led by instructor Chen Ying You from the local store "Daily" in GuangFu Village. Children were taught to use recycled glass beads and reused glass jars to create mosaic lamps, hoping to instill the concept of sustainability through art & crafts experiences with everyday items.

Philippa Tsai, President of the Foundation for Yunus Social Business Taiwan, expressed that through collaboration with local stores in sustainable classes, they integrated local friendliness into regional revitalization. Through the power of education, children could understand the importance of zero carbon emissions from a young age. Juno Wang, the CEO of the foundation, also shared that Professor Yunus's establishment of the Grameen Bank has helped worldwide escape poverty. They hope that through learning about savings, financial management, and the concept of recycling, children could understand social business and incorporate sustainability into entrepreneurial thinking.

Feedbacks from parents on the Yunus Little Boss event includes reviews such as, "The concept of sustainable art & crafts teaches children to cherish things, which was a great blessing for parents. The financial literacy course and letting children experience being a boss are excellent starts. I believed that children will have a better understanding of finances in the future." A kid shared, "I really like to be a boss, enjoying the feeling of setting up a stall and making money. It's also fun to use unused glass jars from home to create beautiful lamps."

In the future, Foundation for Yunus Social Business Taiwan will continue to organize classes that integrate the three-zero sustainability concept. Through each interaction with the public, they aim to incorporate the ideas of common good into event designs, root it in Taiwanese society, and collaborate with more partners to jointly create a three-zero world.