A DONATION of £5,000 from Thames Valley Housing is being used to help under-25s in Hillingdon become financially aware.

The Horn of Africa Youth Association (HAYA) is a charity that provides services and training opportunities for young people.

The donation will enable HAYA volunteers to train to become financial resilience champions. When they have successfully completed their training, they will teach under-25s in their community.

Financial resilience is a hot topic, as last year there were nearly one million under-25s unemployed in the UK and they need to know how to cope.

As banking issues, pay-day loans and help-to-buy mortgages become key issues, young people need to be aware of what they can and cannot afford. It is also important they understand the risks and implications of arranging credit and how they can afford to live on their budget.

Rahma, a volunteer at HAYA, said: “This project will help many people from all different backgrounds in Hillingdon. It’s important we teach the younger generations how to manage their finances, so their awareness can be passed on to others.

“Teaching the young will help them for the future as well as play its part in preventing homelessness.”

HAYA’s initiative comes months before planned changes to the National Curriculum’s citizenship programme. From September, schoolchildren aged 11-16 will be taught to manage their money and plan for the future financially in citizenship lessons.

Tessa Bird, community investment officer at TVH, said: “I’m really excited about this project and working with HAYA.

“They’re an amazing organisation doing wonderful things in and around Hounslow & Hillingdon. It’ll be great to see the difference it makes to people’s lives.”