Mirko, a banker, teaches primary-school children how to handle money

Twenty years of ABN AMRO Foundation

Mirko helps small and medium-sized clients with their applications for financing. He is also one of our volunteers through ABN AMRO Foundation. Since 2001, we’ve been contributing to society through our own foundation. Each year we organise hundreds of activities that allow us to do something for others. In recent years, those activities have been focused primarily on children and young people who are having a tough time at home. As a bank, we want to help create an environment in which the generations to come can get the most out of their future.

Banks in the Classroom: from financial advisor to quizmaster

When it comes to teaching about finances, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Money Week, from 22 to 26 March, is a ‘project week’ for schools across the country during which employees of banks, insurance companies, and other organisations become guest teachers as part of the Banks in the Classroom programme. That way, kids in primary schoolcan find out about all things ‘money’ in an easy-to-understand way. That’s important, because financial awareness at an early age lays the groundwork for financial independence later on in life.

This year, more than 200 ABN AMRO employees will be serving as guest teachers. All told, they’ll be giving more than 400 lessons. This will be the fifth time Mirko is taking part, but the first in which he’ll be doing so in his own kids’ class. ‘All volunteers are always really well prepared. These days, of course, everything has to be done online, but usually in class we play the Cash Quiz, a game about money that’s always a lot of fun and a good laugh. For a short while, you’re not only a bank employee, but also a quizmaster. That means putting questions to students (and then helping them with the answers!), and generally trying to keep the fun and excitement going. Great stuff altogether.’

Back to his old neck of the woods

The primary school where Mirko taught the previous two editions of Banks in the Classroom is located in a deprived part of Arnhem where he himself grew up. ‘For most of these kids, money isn’t just floating around at home—far from it. I know the neighbourhood and the challenges they face. If you ask them what they want to be when they grow up, it usually boils down to something like "I wanna get rich". I see that they’re being heavily influenced by social media on this score. Having money is an important part of the future for them. The thing is, they often don’t have a good sense of what exactly that entails.’

Never too young to learn

The value of the Banks in the Classroom initiative is close to Mirko’s heart. That’s because of the path he took out of that neighbourhood: ‘I went from preparatory vocational education on to middle and then to higher technical school. And it was sometimes quite a struggle. Unfortunately, I used to experience first hand what it's like to live in debt. I was never reallytaught, either at home or at school, how to handle money. If you’re better prepared for this at a young age, it can prevent financial problems later, especially if you grow up in a neighbourhood where the opportunities you might have aren’t exactly staring you in the face. I think I myself would have benefitted from being better prepared earlier on.’

Volunteering during working hours

As Mirko sees things, it’s only natural that ABN AMRO should be supporting a large number of social projects. ‘As a bank, we’re at the heart of society, and being socially responsible is a big part of that. I'm happy to be getting involved, often together with colleagues. It’s also made really easy for us: every employee gets a week off each year—our Banking for Better days—to do volunteer work. It’s even enshrined in our collective labour agreement. So that goes to show how much ABN AMRO values its commitment to society.’

Mirko says that, if he hadn’t gone to work for a bank, he’d probably have become a teacher. ‘I really enjoy coaching. And for me, interacting with kids is a real godsend. Thanks to ABN AMRO Foundation, I can combine teaching with my day job. If I can give children something beautiful in this way, even if it's just a little, I'm happy to.’

From playing football to reading to kids, we’ve previously published special stories about employees who work as volunteers through ABN AMRO Foundation to promote equal opportunities for children. And what do you know: their enthusiasm was contagious, because hundreds of new colleagues have since signed up. Read any stories you’ve missed here.