The Credit Professional Winter 2018 Dec_2018_magazine | Page 7

CPI Awarded Grant
To Fund Banzai Program
By Cindy Westenhofer, MPCE
Credit Professionals
International has been awarded
a grant from the Credit
Education Resources
Foundation to fund a Banzai
Program for teens.
What is Banzai? It is a
financial literacy program with
different components that are
designed for elementary,
middle school and high
school students. There is even
an adult version. This article
will examine the high
school version.
Banzai’s high school software
comes with a new name:
Banzai Teen!. Banzai is a
realistic, fun, colorful,
educational, feature-rich,
easier to grade, longer (or
shorter, if that’s your thing),
while keeping the same quirky
gameplay students love.
Improved Story,
All-New Illustrations
Each scene is vibrantly
illustrated, with big, bold, fun
things from young adults’
actual lives.
The receipts also got more real
(and bigger).
budgeting system, this isn’t a
problem, however, they’ve
devised a simple way to
accommodate everyone:
students now take money out
of accounts and then report
those expenses to their budget
(or budget categories)
They’ve introduced a new
narrator, Bill (you might have
noticed him before in hiding).
We’ve explained financial
concepts like the value of a
Life-like receipts and
checking account, how to read
interesting illustrations have
Jars
are
now
budgets.
Don’t
financial statements, and how
always been a staple of the
worry 
—

t
he
concept
remains
to stay out of debt more clearly
Banzai program. If teachers tell
the
same,
but
they’ve
renamed
and deeply.
us anything it’s, “The kids love
how colorful it is!” It’s certainly jars to budgets. Over the years, And, finally— it’s also funnier
some students have been
true, especially if they’re
confused by how Banzai asks
Measuring Progress
comparing it to the text books
users
to
put
money
into
and
with Milestones
they’re used to. So in keeping
take
money
out
of
both
with the Banzai traditions
accounts and jars. For those of Traditionally, teachers have
they’ve made the story  —   and
the illustrations  —   even better. you familiar with the envelope only had one tool to measure
continued on page 7
The Credit Professional
6
December 2018