Students play the stock market

The 'Tribal Exchange'

Taking a shot at the 'Stock Market Game'According to the National Congress of American Indians, children in 20,000 schools have taken part in a financial literacy program known as the "Stock Market Game." Teams of students are given hypothetical amounts of money to invest in the stock market. The winners of the game are those who "raise" the most money.

Many teachers support the SMG, stating students are excited to learn about financial matters because students are connected to real-life decisions.

But American Indian schools have not been part of this literacy program. Staff members at the NCAI have come up with a program that would offer the same benefits as the SMG.

The NCAI has created the Tribal Exchange to give American Indian schools another version of the SMG. But in this case, more than American Indian schools are taking part in the competition. Other Native agencies are jumping aboard for a bit of friendly competition.

The NCAI has worked in conjunction with government agencies such as the Bureau of Indian Education, the Office of Indian Education and Economic Development, Oweesta, First Nations, Native American Finance Officers Association and the Department of Treasury in the creation of this Tribal Exchange.

School and agency teams will each receive a hypothetical $100,000 to invest over the course of the game. The pilot game runs for 38 days from Sept. 2 to Oct. 10. School teams will consist of 9th graders and each school can have up to six teams of 3-5 members each. Agency teams will follow a similar format.