Telling a Different Story: Financial Literacy for Our Times

AN EVENT OF THE ECONOMICS CONFERENCE OF THE GOETHEANUM

Today’s world conditions can be both described and understood, even framed hopefully, through the lens of financial literacy. For many years now, colleagues of the Economics Conference of the Goetheanum have been developing a practical understanding of associative financial literacy at a general level and as informed by Rudolf Steiner’s ideas concerning economic, business and finance. This has resulted in a substantial literature on central themes – such as The Hibernian Mysteries and Modern Finance / Money as Bookkeeping / Revisiting US Financial History / Associative Financial Literacy and Adolescence / Finance at the Threshold – which can be found on these two related websites: www.economics.goetheanum.org and www.associative-financial-literacy.com

We would like to share this work with a wider world and are now organizing an in-person gathering to be held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, on 21-24 September this year. A provisional program for this event has been in progress for a year or so and was tested out with a small in–person gathering in Sebastopol, California, in September 2022. With the same title, a report of that event, including a transcript of the main presentations made, is available here or on request to Kim Chotzen, kc@kimchotzen.com. The content of this report covers efforts already underway to review the financial history of the USA and the origins and evolution of “deep accounting,” two topics critical to an understanding of today’s financial situation, especially in regard to how this is taught in schools and to young people. Click here for the program in Ann Arbor, MI.

Of particular interest is the pedagogical work and curricula that have been developed over the years. Fionn Meier, our Swiss colleague, has been specially funded as a “financial literacy ambassador,” enabling him to deepen this research with colleagues in Switzerland. This gave rise to a special conference held jointly with the Pedagogical Section at the Goetheanum in October 2020. Since then, Fionn and his colleagues have developed a curriculum for the grades 1 to 9 which was published by the Swiss Association of Waldorf Schools (www.steinerschule.ch) in German in May 2023. It is now being translated into English in order to be launched at this event in the USA.

Including parents, teachers, economists, and accountants, we hope that this event will be of interest to anyone practically involved in teaching finance, economics, or business to young people, especially in both formal and informal settings.

We are planning for approximately 35 participants, so please indicate your interest to reserve a space by contacting Kim Chotzen, kc@kimchotzen.com, and save the dates! Further details, including costs, will follow in due course.