WASHINGTON, DC, Apr 27 (MARKET WIRE) --
April is National Financial Literacy Month, and the National Academy of
Public Administration (NAPA) is launching a student-focused public
awareness campaign designed to demonstrate the importance of financial
responsibility and inspire students to make their voices heard in the
ongoing fiscal policy debate.
Budgetball is an innovative new sport that combines fiscal strategy and
physical play. The game takes students out of the classroom and on to the
field for competitive play that highlights the relationships among debt,
savings, interest, and taxes. Budgetball gives players a compressed,
real-time, physical experience in managing money that applies to balance
sheets of any size -- from personal finance to the Federal budget. Visit
www.budgetball.org to view a video explanation of the game.
"Budgetball strips away the complicated jargon and confusing details of
the Federal budget by turning 'fiscal' into 'physical,'" said National
Academy President Jennifer L. Dorn. "It is a catalyst for conversations
about responsible financial planning -- both personal and national."
As a result of an aging population and rapidly increasing healthcare
costs, America faces massive and mounting debt driven largely by unfunded
promises for Medicare and Social Security. Simply stated, there is no
greater threat to our nation's long-term economic well being than the
growing gap between spending and revenue.
The first campus-wide Budgetball Tournament was played at the University
of Miami on Saturday, 18 April, 2009.
"The University of Miami was delighted to host the Budgetball Tournament,"
said Donna E. Shalala, president of the University of Miami. "Nobody has
more at stake in our nation's long-term economic stability than the
generation that will inherit it. This game will teach our students some of
the tools needed to become fiscally responsible."
The game is played between two teams of 6 to 10 people on an area roughly
the size of a basketball court. In order to win, players must use
compromise and persuasion to achieve consensus about debt and savings.
During a game, teams score points by passing the ball to a player in the
end zone, while strategically managing their Budgetbucks. Budgetbucks may
be borrowed, earned or spent by taking advantages such as an extra
offensive player or by taking team sacrifices like wearing oven mitts
during play. To win, a team must creatively and responsibly use debt and
savings to gain sufficient advantage over their opponents and score more
points.
Budgetball was created by the National Academy in partnership with Parsons
The New School for Design and Area/Code, and funded by a grant from the
Peter G. Peterson Foundation.
More information about Budgetball, including a Budgetball game kit, is
available on the National Academy's Budgetball website,
www.budgetball.org.
To download video please visit
http://newsinfusion.com/video_details.php?videoId=293.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=967718
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=967714
Video-Link Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=967761
Contact:
Derek LaVallee
202-615-7134
pressinquiry@napawash.org
Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.
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