OP cooperative bank visits to schools
In line with OP Financial Group's sustainability programme, we support the management of personal finances and promote financial literacy. Our goal is to meet 70,000 children and young people every year in our financial literacy lessons and projects together with OP cooperative banks and our partners.
The cornerstone of our financial literacy work consists of visits by OP cooperative bank representatives to schools and educational institutions all around Finland. OP cooperative banks also invite children and young people to visit banks and learn skills for working life, personal finances and entrepreneurship. OP Financial Group also works nationwide with its partners to promote financial literacy among children and young people. In 2022, we reached 90,000 children and young people.
In the Summer jobs paid for by OP campaign, OP cooperative banks fund summer jobs for more than 2,000 young people around Finland. The aim of the campaign is to help young people aged between 15 and 17 find their first summer job.
Financial Literacy Week
In March, OP hosts the Financial Literacy week with particular emphasis on the personal finance skills of children and young people. During the week, OP cooperative banks throughout Finland teach day-to-day finances and practical money skills to young people. During the week, representatives from OP cooperative banks visit schools to teach financial skills to young people in the OPxMoneyTalk sessions.
Financial literacy competition for ninth-graders together with the Association for Teachers of History and Social Studies in Finland
Together with the Association for Teachers of History and Social Studies (HYOL), we enhance the personal finance skills of ninth-graders in the national Financial Literacy Competition and in the events linked to it. The qualifying round of the Financial Literacy Competition will be held in early April at schools around Finland.
Cooperation with Junior Achievement Finland
OP is a longstanding partner of Junior Achievement Finland Among other programmes, we are a partner in the Bisneskurssi educational content project to promote financial, career and entrepreneurship skills among young people. OP also supports JA’s Investor Academy, a course module on investing and financial concepts for upper secondary students.
Through our partnership with Junior Achievement Finland, OP is involved in the regional semifinals and national finals of the ‘Dare to Try’ programme. OP also supports the ‘Tiny Entrepreneurs’ programme. The purpose of these is to strengthen the working life skills of primary school and secondary school students and to help guide students towards the path of entrepreneurship. In the Tiny Entrepreneurs programme, the emphasis is particularly on elementary school-aged children, who set up their first businesses with the help of the programme.
Yrityskylä (Business Village) is a Finnish learning concept that has been awarded as the world’s best education innovation. The concept offers positive experiences in working life, the economy and society to sixth-graders and ninth-graders. Business Village operates in eight cities and towns, and OP supports the work of the initiative around Finland.
We are part of Helsinki Deaconess Foundation’s Taloustaito financial literacy project
The Helsinki Deaconess Foundation coordinates a financial literacy project, Taloustaito, which involves bank employees giving financial literacy classes and one-on-one instruction to disadvantaged young people around the country. Launched in 2013, the project coordinates visits by OP employees to youth groups and helps young people learn personal finance skills through individual training.
4H
The aim of the cooperation between 4H Finland, Finlands svenska 4H and OP is to support young people entering working life, improve their financial literacy and reinforce their independence in managing their personal finances.