First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) is pleased to announce the launch of the My Green campaign for Native American youth.  My Green, created by First Nations with funding from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, is an initiative that features a brand new website (http://www.mybigmoney.org/) with tools to help Native youth who will be receiving a large Minor’s Trust or per capita payment – what First Nations refers to as “Big Money” – make smart decisions with their money.

The My Green campaign was created in response to the growing demand for a product to specifically assist the increasing number of youth receiving Big Money payments.  As many of you know, some tribes hold capital earned through successful tribal businesses or settlements with the US government in a trust for tribal youth, and award the payment(s) to youth when they turn 18 (or sometimes later).  Unfortunately, Native youth have a high “unbanked” rate and lower levels of financial knowledge than the national average, and are thus especially vulnerable to making poor financial decisions when awarded this money.

The My Green website (http://www.mybigmoney.org/) features four spokespeople, Native youth ages 17-23, who present their stories about how they managed their Big Money. They share their lessons learned in a series of videos, and they serve as guides throughout the different components of the website.  The site contains several money tools that Native youth can use to learn how to better manage their payments, including a Big Money simulation game that mirrors real-life spending decisions one must make and a question and answer forum that addresses a number of topics pertinent to youth receiving a Big Money payment.

To view all the resources available to our youth, please visit www.mybigmoney.org, like the new Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mygreenfndi, and follow the campaign on Twitter @mygreenfndi for all the latest updates.