October 19, 2025
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How can you understand where the money from your first paycheck disappears? How can you learn to save «for yourself» without putting off your dreams? Our young people explored the answers to these questions during a meeting at the company Grundfos — as part of the joint project «Boost Your Future».
This is not the first time the team of corporate mentors at Grundfos has warmly welcomed our participants, creating an atmosphere of openness, support, and genuine professional inspiration.
The meeting began with the interactive game «Truth or Myth» about finances. The young people chose answers, debated, changed their minds — emotions were running high! This is exactly how understanding is born: financial literacy is not dry theory, but part of our everyday choices.
Ms. Marina, a specialist at Grundfos, clearly explained how salaries are formed, why it is important to pay taxes, and what «net income» really means. The teenagers actively asked questions about first earnings and financial responsibility. It was not just a lecture — it was a real conversation about adult life, where being mindful matters.
«It was incredibly interesting to listen to the speaker Marina. She spoke so easily and used simple real-life examples about managing finances, savings, and taxes. Thank you for the opportunity for sincere communication and for the time to work one-on-one with a specialist. We discussed how to earn and save money to achieve my dream» — Sasha.
During the «tasty break,» participants talked with Grundfos employees in an informal atmosphere. There was lots of laughter, jokes, and sincere conversations about life, dreams, and first professional steps. It is in moments like these that trust is born — and the feeling that adults are not only giving advice, but truly listening, which is so important for our teenagers.
The meeting continued with expert New Community of Ukraine, financial literacy trainer and business coach Oksana Kotenko. She shared practical advice:
- plan your own budget;
- set aside at least 10% «for yourself»;
- invest in development and education.
«I really loved the topic of financial literacy! All the specialists were sincere and open, and I was able to plan my budget to achieve my goal. It was very interesting to play the truth or myth game. I realized that I need to plan my budget» — Danya.
«Financial literacy is not about limitations, — said Oksana. — It is about opportunities and freedom of choice.». And this phrase became the leitmotif of the entire day.
In the final part, the young people immersed themselves in planning the trip of their dreams. Participants developed routes, calculated expenses, looked for ways to save money, negotiated, and defended their decisions. It was a game that taught them to think as a team, listen to others, and find common solutions — not only about money, but about life as well.
«I really enjoyed taking part in the exercise where we calculated expenses for a potential trip. Thank you to Oksana for presenting such a topic so clearly and easily. I realized for myself that I also need to pay myself and invest in my own development. Thank you all for the sweet table» — Tymur.
«I really liked how everything was organized, the interesting interactive activities, and it was not scary to collaborate — on the contrary, it was interesting to see how everything looks from the outside. I was also interested to hear about insurance and investments» — Ksyusha.
At the end — one-on-one meetings between the young people and mentors. In a sincere atmosphere, the teenagers shared their dreams, fears, and doubts, and asked for advice. And it was here that those inner «moments of insight» were born — the kind that change the direction of thoughts and actions.
The young people left the meeting inspired, with the understanding that every choice matters. And financial literacy is another step toward their own conscious future.
«It was very interesting to hear about the importance and risks of using a credit card. At first it was scary to work in a team and in pairs, but everyone was very sincere and helpful, so everything went easily and was incredibly interesting! Thank you to Oksana and Marina for such a wonderful topic and for presenting it so simply» — Vika.
We thank the company Grundfos for the partnership, openness, and willingness to share knowledge. The Mentoring Association continues to create new opportunities for young people and expand cooperation with businesses in order to help children and teenagers from vulnerable groups become confident, educated, and resilient together.
«I attended an incredibly important topic for today — Financial Literacy. Marina and Oksana sincerely shared their own experience in managing finances and talked about all the opportunities for effectively planning your finances. They also warned us about the risks that may arise. It was very interesting to hear about the 3 stages of life where we constantly need to invest money for comprehensive development and maintaining our lives. Thank you very much for the literature and for clearly explaining what savings and insurance are» — Misha.
