First Nations Foundation has relaunched its award-winning online financial literacy training program, My Money Dream, to empower Indigenous Australians to take control of their financial future with culturally specific learning tools.

My Money Dream was developed off the back of national research showing the monumental gap in financial literacy compared to the rest of the nation, with one in two First Nations people suffering severe financial stress, nine in ten with no financial security and over half the population with no savings.

Created by Indigenous people for Indigenous people, the program helps participants tackle challenges from budgeting and debt to savings, alongside a complete end-to-end guide for achieving personal financial prosperity. The relaunch includes a new interface update and user experience overhaul.

First Nations Foundation CEO, Phil Usher, said the program guides participants through debt reduction strategies and provides a robust framework for budgeting and building savings effectively.

“Financial education can sometimes be a dry topic and hard to get people excited about. We’ve spent a great deal of time enhancing the user journey and improving the overall interface for a better experience to grow the course take-ups and completion rates,” said Phil. 

“Not long after joining, people will feel empowered to make great financial decisions. The training even includes scripts to ask for a better deal from banks or utilities providers – right the way through to getting into the housing market and investing.”

“The revamped first module, Culture and the Economy, is something we’re really excited to be launching. It’s deeply personal and something that users are finding as a breakthrough moment that allows them to understand their own culture, the intersection of capitalism and the historical context of our people alongside this – ultimately assisting to remove feelings of shame.”

To date, over 500 Indigenous Australians have joined the My Money Dream program, which Phil says is reflecting in impactful real-life changes for young participants. 

“For some, it’s having the confidence to call their bank to ask for a better rate, ultimately saving tens of thousands in interest for their home loan. For others, they’ve spent 12 months tidying up their own finances and are now in the market to buy their first home,” he said.

“The online program itself is on demand and self-paced, and we also deliver a face-to-face version with the goal of supporting those who may feel overwhelmed along the way.”

For more information on My Money Dream, please visit www.mymoneydream.com.au