Rashford launches scheme to help youngsters develop positive mindset of money

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford is backing a scheme to help youngsters feel confident about their finances and has even returned to his roots to share some of his wisdom.

The 24-year-old forward has collaborated with NatWest and the National Youth Agency to create a programme that offers some much-needed support and guidance for young people to develop a positive mindset around money.

The Thrive programme is going to be trialled at community centres this Easter ahead of a nationwide roll-out and one of those destinations is Rashford's old club, Norbrook Youth Club in Wythenshawe, Manchester - where he recently visited to teach teenagers how to manager their money.

The scheme is also being piloted at St. Mary's Youth Centre in Primrose Hill, north London and Sunderland's Lambton Street Youth Centre.

The striker, whose school meals campaign famously delivered a government U-turn worth £170 million in support for disadvantaged children, told them he is going on the attack again.

'I think that's the first thing that we should try and attack. Get rid of the fear first,' Rashford insisted.

'I never had money growing up. So when I have it, it's not about spending it. It's about making it more.

'And then if I want to spend a bit, then I'll spend a bit.'

Rashford, who is struggling on the pitch so far this campaign, hailed the teens who attend Norbrook as 'resourceful', by saying: 'One of the main things for me is obviously giving back to young people.

'All these kids here, they know how to make something out of nothing.'

Studies have shown that two thirds of young people worry about money but get only eight per cent of their financial education from the classroom.

The Thrive scheme sees youth workers equipped to host workshops to improve the confidence of young people in dealing with their finances.

'A lot of kids are scared to go to a bank and that's not surprising because they don't teach you about money mindset at school.

'For those who grew up in the sort of area that I did, it's about what you don't have, rather than what you could achieve.

'The positive and empowering element doesn't register in their heads.

'It's not hard to reverse that but not many people are trying to change that.

'I know so many talented young people who could really benefit from a program like this, who could actually propel themselves into something much bigger and achieving their goals.'

Rashford was last year awarded a MBE by Prince William in recognition of his campaign to support vulnerable children during the pandemic.

The forward has become a prolific anti-poverty campaigner over the last two years.

He has spoken about his own experiences of using food banks and free school meals and is also involved in boosting childhood literacy.

His efforts to accelerate free school meal provision in England during holidays pressured the government into major policy changes in 2020.

NatWest CEO Alison Rose told Rashford: 'You're mum's given you the framework, so that you know what to do, which is really powerful.

'We're in people's lives from the very beginning.

'If we can give people the tools to be economically secure and know what to do and not to see something to be frightened of, it can be empowering of their life rather than something that holds them back.'