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Financial Literacy Scheme
Empowering young minds with practical money skills
GIFA’s Financial Literacy Scheme is a practical educational initiative currently running at two Guernsey primary schools – Vale and Hautes Capelles – with plans to introduce the scheme to a third.
Designed for pupils aged 7 to 11, the programme supports the Big Picture Curriculum by helping children develop essential financial skills such as saving, earning interest, spending responsibly, and budgeting. Pupils earn a classroom currency, 'Vales', through their school’s existing reward system, which they can either save in class bank accounts or spend in a student-run shop. Positions such as Bank Manager and Shopkeeper allow pupils to gain further experience of managing money and responsibility.
The initiative is sponsored by Aztec and coordinated by GIFA’s Education Committee in collaboration with school staff, parents and local volunteers. It represents GIFA’s commitment to supporting financial education and engaging positively with the wider community.
Organisations or individuals interested in learning more or supporting the scheme are welcome to get in touch.
Investment Challenge
The GIFA Investment Challenge is an annual initiative designed to introduce students in Years 10 to 13 to the principles of investment management and the impact of global events on financial markets.
The 2024/2025 challenge ran from 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025 and attracted a record number of entries, with over 300 students forming 150 teams across six local educational institutions. Each team managed a notional portfolio of £1 million, investing in a selection of 12 stocks, with the objective of achieving the highest return over the course of six months.
Participants submitted monthly rationales for their investment choices, providing insight into their analysis and decision-making. In addition to rewarding top portfolio performance in two age categories (Years 10–11 and Years 12–13), the challenge also recognised excellence in written investment reasoning.
The programme is organised by GIFA’s Managers subcommittee and supported by Butterfield Bank, Rocq Capital, White Star Capital, Ravenscroft and Rathbones. It forms part of GIFA’s broader commitment to financial education and sector engagement within the community.