Less risk, More Reward – helping UCA students with financial wellbeing
Less Risk, More Reward was this year’s theme for National Student Money Week. We attended an event at University for the Creative Arts Epsom to help students think about their financial wellbeing.
Vicki Phelan is a Financial and Wellbeing Support Service Caseworker. (3 mins)
In fact the full theme of the UCA event was Less Risk, More Reward: Maintaining Your Financial Wellbeing at University. It highlighted saving and spotting financial red flags and organised some fun activities to make students aware of their spending habits.
We were happy to play our part promoting our free service as a place students can always get trustworthy support and advice. I was representing Citizens Advice as a whole but also the CAEE/Mary Frances Trust Financial Wellbeing and Support Service (FWSS).
Our message is straightforward; Citizens Advice is an independent local resource students can access easily for genuinely helpful advice. Unfortunately however many of them knew nothing about what we do or how we’re here for local people, whoever they are, whatever their problem.
Wellbeing at risk
Taking a university course and managing the financial and other challenges of adult life is a challenge for many young people. Hopefully we raised our profile with the students and they now know there are free services as well as the university they can ask for help.
The organiser of National Student Money Week is the association of student money advisers. Their job is to help young people be more financially aware and alert them to the risks. Falling into debt, being scammed, not budgeting, reckless spending – they can all put health and wellbeing at risk.
Of course, our purpose at CAEE FWSS is to help people of all ages whose money problems are already affecting their wellbeing. But I’m sure it was valuable for the students and us to be part of their Money Week.
At the moment fewer young people benefit from Citizens Advice than other age ranges. We want to change that and this was a great opportunity to spread the word.