Russian Lions potentially joining top financial education practices in Russia
In the Krasnoyarsk region, the big event in financial literacy took a swing—the key-competition "Krasnoyarsk Lions." This year, the organizers put in a bid to include the event in the country-wide catalog of best practices, which is annually compiled by the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation upon request.
The third edition of the regional key-competition in financial literacy went down in 2023, with 66 teams from 20 cities and districts of the region participating. The top 10 teams made it to the finals, showcasing their video pitches, acing functional literacy tasks, and solving complex key-problems.
Every single participant brought their creative approach, teamwork skills, and solid knowledge to the table, giving the jury a tough time selecting the winners.
And the winners are…
- Taking the first place was MBOU SSH No14 from Norilsk,
- The runner-up title went to MNGOU SSH No24 from Krasnoyarsk,
- MBOU "Aginskaya SOSH No2" from Sayan District took the third place.
Allwinning teams received diplomas and certificates.
"The Krasnoyarsk Lions championship is one of the most popular events in financial education in the region. It annually gathers dozens of teams, and the participants get serious about it, digging deep into complicated financial matters. This year, we presented the championship for federal publication in the annual catalog of regional best practices compiled by the Ministry of Finance of Russia," pointed out Vice-Premier of the Government of Krasnoyarsk Krai and Minister of Finance Vladimir Bahary.
The application, which was sent by the region, provides a detailed account of the key-competition. The competition, initiated in 2023, serves as a unique mechanism to engage students and young adults in collaborative efforts aimed at enhancing their financial literacy. The key-competition is held with the participation of representatives of the Central Bank, social foundations, cultural institutions—libraries, museums, theaters, universities, the Center for the family, commercial companies, as well as government organs: the Legislative Assembly and the Ministry of Finance of the region.
The name of the competition doesn't come as a surprise: the lion, one of the symbols of Krasnoyarsk, holds a pickaxe, a tool used in gold mining. Much like it did throughout the past century, the Krasnoyarsk region continues to play a crucial role in replenishing the Russian treasury, remaining one of the country's leading gold-producing regions.
High school seniors participate in the key-competition. Their teams consist of students from 8th, 9th, and 10th grades. As of today, more than 800 high school students from two dozen municipalities take part in the key-competition in Krasnoyarsk region. At least nine social partners are attracted, and volunteers are involved as well. The competition spans two stages—distance learning and on-site, which lasts approximately 4 hours. This competition, in turn, consists of three parts: team introductory videos, quick tasks, and key-problems.
The introductory video and quick tasks give participants a chance to immerse themselves in the topic and warm up before tackling more challenging tasks.
The content of the key-problems concerns current topics in financial literacy—situations are developed based on real-life stories.
For example, in 2023, participants were required to restore and model the solutions of a real business owner in sectors such as education, health, and events, so as to get out of a crisis. In 2024, the key-problems focused on the well-developed in the region initiative budgeting in the region. Teams were asked to present local initiative projects, interacting with experts, and the students handled all tasks successfully.
It's worth mentioning that the event has already received high praise in several competitions.
Thus, by the end of the "KIVO 24" competition held by the Higher School of Economics "Krasnoyarsk Lions" made it into the top 150 innovative projects in Russia. The key-competition was also included in the collection of projects of socially active technology-based education as a result of the All-Russia competition "We're Raising a Citizen 23".
In 2024, the experience of organizing the championship was presented at the All-Russia conference on experience exchange and presentation of best practices in the field of financial education, and in Krasnoyarsk, a program for improving the qualifications of teachers "Methodological School: Resources for Developing Financial Literacy" was developed and implemented for teachers involved in preparing students for the championship.
By the way, the bid to include the key-competition "Krasnoyarsk Lions" in the list of best practices in financial literacy education in Russia—that's not the first such attempt.
Several initiatives of the region have previously received high marks on a federal level, with the highlight being the Regional Student Financial Festival. The total number of financial literacy events in the region exceeds 10,000 annually. It's worth reminding that, in March, the capital of financial culture was rightfully recognized, and "Lions" is one of the shining examples of "capitalness."
Photos: regional Ministry of Finance, Central Bank
- The Krasnoyarsk Lions championship, an annual event in financial education, gathers dozens of teams and is popular in the region, attracting at least nine social partners and volunteers.
- High school seniors participate in the key-competition, with teams consisting of students from 8th, 9th, and 10th grades, and more than 800 students from two dozen municipalities taking part.
- The competition, which spans two stages—distance learning and on-site, is held with the participation of representatives from commercial companies, government organs, and educational institutions.
- The Krasnoyarsk Lions key-competition has already received high praise in several national competitions, making it into the top 150 innovative projects in Russia and being included in the collection of projects of socially active technology-based education.
