Marketplace and Greenlight to Launch Nationwide Financial Literacy Tour for Middle Schools

ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- American Public Media's® (APM) Marketplace®, the most widely consumed business and economic news programming in the country, has partnered with Greenlight® Financial Technology, Inc. (Greenlight), the fintech company on a mission to help parents raise financially smart kids, to launch a dynamic financial literacy tour, Million Bazillion Live! "Who Wants to be a Bazillionaire?"

Photo Credit: Lee's Summit School District

Based on the Webby-winning kids' podcast Million Bazillion from Marketplace and presented by Greenlight, the 20-city Million Bazillion Live! tour will debut this September at middle schools across the nation to bring financial knowledge and empowerment to more than 50,000 students.
Presented in a fun, entertaining game show format, Million Bazillion Live! is an immersive experience with personal finance trivia, challenges, and prizes. During the tour, students will cheer on their classmates while learning about real money matters such as budgeting, saving, and investing. The first leg of Million Bazillion Live! will visit: Kansas City, MO; Dallas / Ft. Worth, TX; Austin, TX; Fayetteville/Little Rock, AR; Baton Rouge, LA; Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Washington, DC; Philadelphia, PA; and New York, NY. The second half of the tour will commence in Spring 2024."We're excited to continue our partnership with Greenlight to bring this crucial programming and essential life skills to schools across the nation," said Neal Scarbrough, Vice President and General Manager at Marketplace. 

"This initiative is an extension of Marketplace's mission to bring more young Americans under the tent of financial literacy and empower them with the knowledge they need to successfully navigate their futures."

Personal finance education still isn't a requirement for students to graduate in all 50 states. 27 states don't require a personal finance course, even though teens score an average of 64% on the National Financial Literacy Test. At the same time, 93% of teens know they need financial knowledge and skills to achieve their life goals — and 97% of parents agree.*
"At Greenlight, we've always been focused on empowering young people with the financial knowledge, skills, and confidence they need for a healthy future through our award-winning banking app and engaging educational resources," said Jennifer Seitz, Director of Education at Greenlight. "With the upcoming Million Bazillion Live! tour, we look forward to reaching even more families and educating local communities on the critical topic of financial literacy in a fun and entertaining way."
"American Public Media has principles that guide how we partner with brands while honoring the trust and reputation our programming has earned with audiences," said Tom De Napoli, Vice President of Revenue Strategy at APM. "Our partnership with Greenlight is a great example of how each campaign we develop must offer cultural meaning to our audiences, drive business results for our partners, and elevate the content it surrounds. With the Million Bazillion Live! tour, we are extending our public media mission into new storytelling spaces – classrooms across the country – to educate the next generation about financial literacy."
To learn more, please visit millionbazillionlive.com. Episodes of Million Bazillion are also available for listening on all major podcast platforms, with a new season starting Sept. 5. For more information, visit marketplace.org/millionbazillion. ###

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