Edutainment brand KidZania has partnered with YES Bank to teach children the nuances of managing funds and impart financial literacy in a role-playing concept.
KidZania is an edutainment concept that combines education and entertainment, rendering real life experiences that empower and educate children. It engages kids between 4 to 14 yrs with environmental stewardship, career exploration and social consciousness activities. It’s built to the size and scale for children and emulates the workings of a real city. The indoor city, complete with buildings, paved streets, vehicles, a functioning economy, and recognizable destinations in the form of "establishments" sponsored and branded by leading multi-national and local brands. These brand partners are aligned with KidZania's philosophy to help kids strengthen their ability to manage their world through key aspects of learning, ranging from society functions, financial literacy, adult professions and team work.
At the entry of the KidZania centre, a child gets a traveller's cheque from the bank which he needs to give to the teller to encash for the local currency (‘kidZos’). They can even withdraw kidZos from a YES Bank ATM placed at different parts of the facility. The kids get to be either a Bank Customer or a Bank Teller. Kids learn the value of money as they have to earn, spend and save ‘kidZos’.
Speaking on the occasion, Rana Kapoor, Founder, Managing Director and CEO, YES Bank said, “This association is an experiential combination of two organizations. This creative platform is aimed to inculcate the basic nuances of banking and generate greater awareness of prudent financial habits among children.”
The first center of KidZania in India is slated to open the second quarter of 2013 at R City Mall, Mumbai. The family entertainment indoor theme park is spread across 75,000 square feet, and will have buildings, paved streets, vehicles and recognizable destinations, offering kids more than 75 role-playing options in its 60 establishments. Following the KidZania Mumbai launch will be KidZania centers in the New Delhi and Bengaluru. Currently, KidZania has footprints in eight countries worldwide across 11 centres, with 12 more centres under development and to be launched by 2014.