Awards presentation for the three winners for the ĠEMMA Money Monsters Challenge
The ĠEMMA Money Monsters challenge captured the creativity of a large number of participants aged between 6 and 11 years old from various state, church and private schools.
Money Monsters is an online educational game that teaches children how to make healthy money choices. The game distinguishes the direct link between money management and wellbeing and how one through the correct financial decisions can balance the two for one’s better future. The game is centred around the monster called Nugget who can earn money by going to work and can choose how to spend the money earnt. Depending on Nugget’s financial decisions throughout the game, Nugget can either win and retire financially sound or lose all that it has earnt, garnering a lot of debt with the possibility of ending in jail. Money Monsters helps children understand how a decision has a consequence on their health and happiness.
The aim of this competition organised by ĠEMMA within the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Social Justice and Solidarity, the Family and Children’s Rights and the Department of Accounting and Business Studies within the Directorate for Learning and Assessment Programmes (DLAP) was to challenge children to use the monster Nugget in a creative way that will help and teach others how to take care of their money and their well-being by making healthy money decisions and thinking about their future. The children were encouraged to express t their ideas in any way they wished such as in poster form, comic strips, board games, stories, articles or even songs as long as the theme revolved around Nugget and the other friendly monsters.
Following a difficult adjudication process, it was decided that the three winners whose creativity satisfied all the competition requisites are:
Master Neil Vella from St Catherine’s High School, primary who created a fun, challenging board game focused on improving your money management. Miss Ena Eboh from SMC Senglea, primary who painted a beautiful poster showing the importance of spending our money wisely and choosing healthy eating options to increase our happiness and health, and Master Jake Said from St Aloysious college, primary who wrote up a conversation between a grandmother and her grandson on teaching him the value of money and the difference between needs and wants.
On Wednesday 9th March, they each received a certificate and a gift-voucher of €50 and €30 respectively. These vouchers were presented in collaboration by HSBC Malta Foundation, one of ĠEMMA’s partners who continuously supports ĠEMMA in these educational activities.
Left to right: Petra Ellul-Mercer (ĠEMMA), Joanne Zammit (DLAP), Glenn Bugeja (HSBC Malta Foundation), Helena Holland (ĠEMMA Leader) together with the three Money Monster winners
Neil Vella – St Catherine’s High School Winner of the Money Monster Challenge
Jake Said – St Aloysius college, primary – Runner up for the Money Monster Challenge
Ena Eboh – SMC Senglea primary – runner up for the Money Monster Challenge