The Edufinet Project, promoted by Unicaja Banco and Fundación Unicaja, confirms it commitment to Asociación Asperger Madrid (Madrid Asperger Association) through the signing of a collaboration agreement to continue teaching financial education to the members of the association
Within the framework of this agreement, the financial education programme has given four online workshops for persons with Asperger syndrome and their relatives, who have learnt first-hand the work of the Edufinet Project, the role of banks and the main financial transactions (deposits, withdrawals, transfers and direct debits), as well as concepts related to family budget (payroll and its components), for instance.
The agreement has been signed by the Head of Edufinet Project, José M. Domínguez; the General Manager of Fundación Unicaja, Sergio Corral; and the President of Asociación Asperger Madrid, Paloma Martínez.
The training activities have also covered the most usual means of payment, such as cards, Paypal, Bizum and other online banking platforms, explaining how they work and insisting on the importance of security on the internet.
Participants have also learnt about other financial products such as loans and sustainable finances, and about the main terms and economic indicators which make part of the day-to-day life, such as GDP, inflation, interest rates, exchange rate or public debt.
Asociación Asperger Madrid (https://www.aspergermadrid.org/inicio) is a public interest not-for-profit association created in 2003 by a group of relatives and persons with Asperger syndrome, currently classified as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The association defends the rights of its members and provides services to enhance the psycho-social integration of its more than 400 members.
Financial education programme pioneering in Spain
With over 15 years of history, the Edufinet Project is one of the financial education programmes pioneering in Spain, whose work has been recognized with several awards. Currently 16 universities and ten business organizations and institutions collaborate with the project.
The Edufinet Project has been available, through an Internet portal for the general public, since the end of 2007, although its development began in 2005. Since it was launched, more than 180,000 people have participated in the different seminars, workshops, courses and lectures that it has organized.
Its website (https://www.edufinet.com) has registered more than ten million visits, with consults and access from nearly 180 countries. Additionally, it features several portals with specific contents, such as Edufinext, for young people, Edufiemp, for business owners and entrepreneurs, and Edufiagro, on financial education in the agricultural sector.
The website includes sections such as Edufiblog, EdufiAcademics, EdufiTech and a videogame. It also has a YouTube channel and Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles.
All of the above have made Unicaja, one of the first financial institutions in Spain to launch an initiative of this kind, to be one of the most active agents in the fields of financial education and inclusion, in the exercise of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its commitment to society.