The kasina Youth Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization dedicated to improving the financial literacy of the children of the kasina community. We define financial literacy as the capability to manage one's financial resources and the capacity to make informed decisions about money. Financially literate youth should have a basic understanding of earning, spending, saving, borrowing, investing, and the risks and rewards associated with each of these activities.

Currently, we support W!SE in its mission to provide educational support services nationwide, build financial literacy, foster business and social entrepreneurship, and prepare students for college and the global workplace. We are also actively evaluating other partners and welcome your ideas.

With national and personal debt out of control, it is increasingly important for young adults to understand the role that money plays in their lives. Most students have no exposure to the basic financial issues that will affect much of their adult lives. A few findings highlight the need:

• A 2010 Financial Literacy Survey of adults, conducted on behalf of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, revealed that 34%, or nearly 77 million people, gave themselves a grade of C, D or F
• Results from the Teachers' Background & Capacity to Teach Personal Finance study, funded by the National Endowment for Financial Education, indicate that while 89% of K-12 teachers agree that students should either take a financial education course or pass a competency test for high school graduation, relatively few teachers believe they are adequately prepared to teach personal finance topics
• According to the FINRA Investor Education Foundation's 2010 State-by-State Financial Capability Survey, young Americans [18- to 34-year-olds] nationally were more likely to be less financially capable than older Americans, with 23% spending more than their household income, 68% not having money set aside to cover expenses for three months (rainy day fund), 34% engaging in non-bank borrowing, and averaging only 2.6 correct out of 5 questions covering concepts of economics and finance expressed in everyday life.