you know how it is when you go shopping
you’re looking for a coat but it’s the
scarf that ends up in your bag instead
or maybe you’re out to buy dog food and
somehow you come home with a pet frog
well that’s what happened to me when I
went desperately in search of some
much-needed footwear and came home
instead
with a huge Epiphany I realized that my
ignorance about finances and economics
could have soaring costs here’s how I
came to that realization back to my
shopping spree I spot some fabulous
shoes and boots truth is I don’t really
understand the value of money so my
mother sets me straight the shoes cost
six hundred dollars in other words the
flight cost of a flight to Florida and
the boots they cost a whopping twelve
hundred comparable to a flight to Europe
needless to say I take a pass on both
the some of my money smarts can be
wrapped up in three simple words I know
nothing and that’s when it hit me I
realized that I was completely unaware
of just how enormous the impact of
economics had been on my own life I had
only to consider my personal history to
realize that ignorant about financial
literacy can have some very grave
consequences I was born in the wrong
place at the wrong time China was facing
an economic crisis and their solution
the regime imposed a one-child family
policy as boys are favored in China
millions of girls were killed or aborted
I was lucky my parents chose to release
me to an orphanage in hopes of saving my
life
a one Chameli policy is still in place
as China faces economic and demographic
turmoil the economy is in crisis as the
country’s workforce is rapidly aging in
the labor pool dramatically shrinking an
unexpected result of these reforms has
been the creation of a demand for more
children to supply labor to make matters
worse over 40 million men will never
marry that is more than the entire
population of Canada how ironic it is
that the very policy intended to enrich
the economy has backfired and helped to
throw China into further economic strife
what shaped my destiny was a misguided
solution to an economic crisis that will
impact China for decades to come
as good fortune would have it I was
adopted into a Canadian family but the
history of my adoptive family is horror
filled yet another tragic example of
what happens when inhumane solutions are
enacted in an attempt to solve economic
crises my grandparents survived the
nightmare of the Holocaust the akan
economic crisis in Germany led to the
rise of Hitler causing the worst
genocide in the history of humankind I
know firsthand that economic crises can
lead to war genocide and gendercide we
can no longer afford to remain
financially illiterate as students and
citizens of the world
we live in dangerous times hatred and
fear still run rampant all over the
world in 2016 these were the words of a
year xenophobia the fear of foreigners
post truth a devious word for lies and
surreal where anything can happen but
why all of us fear partly it’s because
we live in stressful economic times all
over the world we are witnessing the
disappearance of the middle class we
face a loss of equal opportunity and the
inequity of wealth the middle class is
seeing its financial status decline as
the cost of living keeps rising in
Canada the top 10% of people own half of
all the wealth economists warn that with
the disappearing middle class we risk
moving away from democracy and towards
forms of autocratic governments how can
we begin to solve economic crises
without the language of finances it is
time to inject financial literacy into
the curriculum starting at a young age
and exposing students to real-life
scenarios in the business world I am a
part of the next generation who will
take the world’s future into our hands
but I can’t fulfill my role of a citizen
of the world if I’m ignorant about some
of the most pressing issues like
economics we make the rules of the
economy and we have the power to change
those rules but we need to mobilize
ourselves to ensure we have the skills
to engage in the language of finances so
here I stand in my new shoes
valued at the cost of a one-way bus trip
to Ottawa with the insight that my
shopping trip was actually
transformative my own ignorance about
finances my personal history the
destinies that evolved and the current
wealth divided make it clear
that the need for financial literacy is
now teach me financial literacy so I can
ensure democracy and peace are sustained
give us the tools we need because some
of us are going to change our
communities our civilization and
possibly even our world thank you
[Applause]
you’re looking for a coat but it’s the
scarf that ends up in your bag instead
or maybe you’re out to buy dog food and
somehow you come home with a pet frog
well that’s what happened to me when I
went desperately in search of some
much-needed footwear and came home
instead
with a huge Epiphany I realized that my
ignorance about finances and economics
could have soaring costs here’s how I
came to that realization back to my
shopping spree I spot some fabulous
shoes and boots truth is I don’t really
understand the value of money so my
mother sets me straight the shoes cost
six hundred dollars in other words the
flight cost of a flight to Florida and
the boots they cost a whopping twelve
hundred comparable to a flight to Europe
needless to say I take a pass on both
the some of my money smarts can be
wrapped up in three simple words I know
nothing and that’s when it hit me I
realized that I was completely unaware
of just how enormous the impact of
economics had been on my own life I had
only to consider my personal history to
realize that ignorant about financial
literacy can have some very grave
consequences I was born in the wrong
place at the wrong time China was facing
an economic crisis and their solution
the regime imposed a one-child family
policy as boys are favored in China
millions of girls were killed or aborted
I was lucky my parents chose to release
me to an orphanage in hopes of saving my
life
a one Chameli policy is still in place
as China faces economic and demographic
turmoil the economy is in crisis as the
country’s workforce is rapidly aging in
the labor pool dramatically shrinking an
unexpected result of these reforms has
been the creation of a demand for more
children to supply labor to make matters
worse over 40 million men will never
marry that is more than the entire
population of Canada how ironic it is
that the very policy intended to enrich
the economy has backfired and helped to
throw China into further economic strife
what shaped my destiny was a misguided
solution to an economic crisis that will
impact China for decades to come
as good fortune would have it I was
adopted into a Canadian family but the
history of my adoptive family is horror
filled yet another tragic example of
what happens when inhumane solutions are
enacted in an attempt to solve economic
crises my grandparents survived the
nightmare of the Holocaust the akan
economic crisis in Germany led to the
rise of Hitler causing the worst
genocide in the history of humankind I
know firsthand that economic crises can
lead to war genocide and gendercide we
can no longer afford to remain
financially illiterate as students and
citizens of the world
we live in dangerous times hatred and
fear still run rampant all over the
world in 2016 these were the words of a
year xenophobia the fear of foreigners
post truth a devious word for lies and
surreal where anything can happen but
why all of us fear partly it’s because
we live in stressful economic times all
over the world we are witnessing the
disappearance of the middle class we
face a loss of equal opportunity and the
inequity of wealth the middle class is
seeing its financial status decline as
the cost of living keeps rising in
Canada the top 10% of people own half of
all the wealth economists warn that with
the disappearing middle class we risk
moving away from democracy and towards
forms of autocratic governments how can
we begin to solve economic crises
without the language of finances it is
time to inject financial literacy into
the curriculum starting at a young age
and exposing students to real-life
scenarios in the business world I am a
part of the next generation who will
take the world’s future into our hands
but I can’t fulfill my role of a citizen
of the world if I’m ignorant about some
of the most pressing issues like
economics we make the rules of the
economy and we have the power to change
those rules but we need to mobilize
ourselves to ensure we have the skills
to engage in the language of finances so
here I stand in my new shoes
valued at the cost of a one-way bus trip
to Ottawa with the insight that my
shopping trip was actually
transformative my own ignorance about
finances my personal history the
destinies that evolved and the current
wealth divided make it clear
that the need for financial literacy is
now teach me financial literacy so I can
ensure democracy and peace are sustained
give us the tools we need because some
of us are going to change our
communities our civilization and
possibly even our world thank you
[Applause]
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