WHY CFEE?

CFEE was established in 1974 in the belief that it is important for Canadians, and especially young Canadians, to develop the "functional economic capability" to undertake decisions and actions in their economic lives with confidence and competence.

Today, our lives are filled with economic choices, challenges, responsibilities, and opportunities. The accelerating rate of economic, social, and technological change generates boundless opportunities for those who are skilled and prepared and potential hardship and struggle for those who are not. Although our education system addresses very well many of the challenges and demands we place upon it, the reality is that the vast majority of young people still leave school unprepared for the economic life that awaits them. Youth step out of school into a world of jobs, incomes, interest rates, mortgages, savings, investments, credit, leases, elections, business …. with little in the way of background and sound fundamentals to prepare them to meet these real life challenges successfully.

CFEE'S GOAL

CFEE's goal is to try to change that. CFEE aims to identify, and help impart, the fundamental concepts of economics, enterprise, entrepreneurship, and personal finance that must be factored into the decisions and actions we face in our day-to-day lives. This reflects our mandate to focus on the "head" — the knowledge and understanding to help an individual succeed and build a successful future. But, in addition to the "head," CFEE also recognizes the need to focus on the "heart" — the passion, the perseverance, and the commitment an individual requires to set goals and work hard to try to achieve them.

FOCUS ON THE "HEAD" AND THE "HEART"

Therefore, CFEE focuses both on basic, functional, economic concepts (the "head") and entrepreneurial attributes, attitudes, and capabilities (the "heart"). We believe these two areas, and the knowledge and skills associated with each, will help ensure that Canadians are able to seize the opportunities of today and tomorrow.

CFEE'S ACTIVITIES

CFEE participates in a wide range of activities and partnerships to achieve its goal. As a non-profit, non-partisan, charitable organization, CFEE's partnerships span the political spectrum as we work in collaboration with all sectors. We help develop curriculum for the schools (e.g., we recently completed development of the new business studies curriculum in Ontario); we help teachers improve their knowledge and teaching techniques (e.g., we just completed four leadership forums to help train teachers); we produce print and multimedia resources for use in classes across the country (e.g., in partnership with Investors Group, we recently produced Money and Youth for use by teachers and students, and 70,000 copies are in circulation); we assist organizations wanting to help education, students, and teachers (e.g., we worked with the Canadian Bankers Association to produce and distribute a CD-ROM on entrepreneurship to all high schools in Canada); we assist government departments in their information and communication efforts (e.g., we worked with the Department of Finance on a booklet for the Canadian public on the debt and deficit issue); and we work at all levels of learning from elementary to college and to the general public.

CFEE'S FUNDING

CFEE raises its funding from its entrepreneurial activities. We receive no sustaining revenues. Rather, we continuously fund our way by generating initiatives in response to needs that people and organizations are willing to support. Our average annual budget is between $1 million and $2 million.

CFEE GOVERNANCE

CFEE's activities are governed by a multi-sector Board of Directors who work to ensure that the Foundation remains focused on its mandate and delivers its programs and services in a non-partisan way.

CFEE'S CONTACT REACH AND NETWORKS

Currently, CFEE is focusing on the creation of a "network of networks" that will improve our ability to reach the target groups we work to serve. This includes: a network of 2,000 school-based educators involved in economic and entrepreneurship education; a network of 5,000-7,000 community-based, youth service agencies working to help youth build successful futures; a network of libraries across Canada that wish to work on a community level in the area of economic development; and a network of school-based "WorkRooms" — classrooms dedicated to the resources and efforts to help students with effective school-to-work transition.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES AND LEADERSHIP ROLE: ECONOMIC AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION AND TRAINING

CFEE is currently working on a number of initiatives including: the development of a CD-ROM-based virtual resource centre that will support those who are working to help youth with career planning and employment/self-employment readiness; complementary activities building on the success of Money and Youth; publication and distribution of Eco-Detectives, a resource focusing on investigating economic solutions to environmental problems; expansion of our web site to serve the needs of educators, students, and the general public (www.cfee.org); investment education; elementary and middle school entrepreneurship education; an Economics Handbook for teachers; the development of a Curriculum Framework for Economics and Entrepreneurship; further dissemination of Catching the Wave: A National Framework for Youth Entrepreneurship Education and Training that CFEE developed for the federal government; and much more. CFEE is now considered to be one of the leading organizations in Canada in economic and entrepreneurship education and training.