Circle and Junior Achievement of Northern California Launch Digital Financial Literacy Curriculum

Program Teaches Bay Area Students About Bitcoin, Blockchain, and NFTs While also Encouraging them to Apply for Circle Scholar Awards

Author: Kate Trevelyan-Hall
Entrepreneurship
Published: Friday, 04 Aug 2023

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Photo of students doing an activity on Cryptocurrency

Image caption: Standing: (Left) Taran Barca-Hall, JA Regional Director and (Right) Hugo Kostelni, Franklin Templeton deliver JA’s pilot “All About Crypto” lesson to a group of JA students (June 2023).

BOSTON, Mass. & SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – August 3, 2023 – Circle Internet Financial, a global fintech firm and issuer of USDC, and Junior Achievement (JA) of Northern California, a renowned non-profit organization dedicated to equipping young people with skills for economic success, announced today the launch of the Digital Financial Literacy Curriculum in the Bay Area. This program aims to empower and educate high school students about internet-native financial services.

Both Circle and JA of Northern California are committed to expanding the reach of financial education and preparing students to succeed in a global economy. With the help of JA of Northern California, Circle has developed the Digital Financial Literacy Curriculum, a two-part program divided into lessons on the history and evolution of money, bitcoin, blockchain, NFTs, and stablecoins. In an early pilot with JA of Northern California summer interns, the first course received a 4.1 out of 5 rating, with feedback that 92% of participants recommended the lesson as a valuable resource for high school students and young adults.

Standing: (Left) Taran Barca-Hall, JA Regional Director and (Right) Hugo Kostelni, Franklin Templeton deliver JA’s pilot “All About Crypto” lesson to a group of JA students (June 2023).

As part of the program, JA of Northern California is also managing the Circle Scholar award program. One of 20 $5,000 scholarships will be awarded to digital financial literacy students to attend a post-secondary school of their choice. Circle Scholars will be selected from candidates who complete the Digital Financial Literacy Curriculum between 2023 and 2025, apply for the scholarship, and exhibit the necessary skills to succeed in post-secondary education.

“A key part of realizing Circle’s mission is ensuring everyone understands how to participate in the growing digital economy,” said Mercina Tillemann-Perez, VP of Circle Impact at Circle. “Working with Junior Achievement to break down the complexities of decentralized technology and digital assets will prepare students with resources to participate in and build the next generation of financial services and create a more inclusive and equitable community surrounding this industry.”

“The opportunity to partner with Circle to develop and deliver informative and relevant information about the Digital Financial Literacy Curriculum is appealing," said Cristene Burr, President and CEO of Junior Achievement of Northern California. “We innovate and create cutting-edge curricula with our corporate partners that can scale constantly. What’s new is that we allow students to pursue their post-secondary education goals by competing for a Circle Scholar Award. That’s transformational.”

The Digital Financial Literacy Curriculum will be available to students throughout Northern California. Upon completion, students and teachers will learn more about the opportunity to apply for a Circle Scholar award. If your high school wants to participate, please email JA of NorCal at info@janorcal.org.

About Circle

Circle is a global financial technology firm that enables businesses of all sizes to harness the power of digital currencies and public blockchains for payments, commerce and financial applications worldwide. Circle is the issuer of USDC and Euro Coin - highly liquid, interoperable, and trusted money protocols on the internet. Circle's open and programmable platform and APIs make it easy for organizations to run their internet-scale business, whether it is making international payments, building globally-accessible Web3 apps or managing their internal treasury. Learn more at https://circle.com.

About Junior Achievement of Northern California (JA)

Junior Achievement of Northern California, established in 1950, is part of the world's largest organization dedicated to educating students about financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness through experiential, hands-on programs. Our mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. JA of Northern California programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers. For more information, visit www.janorcal.org.