Fifty colleagues took the time to learn all sorts of things – from the fact that one in two adults struggle with low numeracy, to the negative impacts this has on careers, education, money management and daily life.
For some this was a lightbulb moment, for others it shone a light on an issue they had direct experience of.
Sharing relatable stories about maths
The focus and empathy in the room was palpable. Despite many individuals having strong numeracy and number confidence, everyone could relate to stories of maths anxiety and unfulfilled potential, as seen in children or adults in their lives.
When the number natter conversation started, the floodgates opened with people sharing their experiences and feelings about maths.
Many talked about how tricky it can be to support children with modern-day (and unfamiliar) maths teaching approaches.
One group were deeply saddened about the fact that some children switch off entirely with maths and the detrimental consequences of this throughout life.
Someone revealed that in school he thought he was rubbish at maths, but as he moved into work he saw how people just need different maths for different jobs.
Another colleague explained how her dad’s positivity around numbers inspired her to persevere, and how that helps every day, including with success at work.
She now makes the same effort to inspire and motivate her own children, knowing how powerful this encouragement can be.
Inspiring others to start improving their numeracy
Some proactive teammates immediately volunteered to record quotes and short videos about their journeys with numbers; these real-life case study stories are invaluable for our charity communications and outreach to beneficiaries.
You never know what the golden ticket could be to inspire someone to finally take steps to improve their numeracy.
Maybe it will be the relatable story of visiting a theme park and using numbers to navigate the rides versus time versus energy levels?
Or the realisation that children absorb attitudes from parents – both positive and negative. Or simply that maths can be hard, but it’s worth persevering because a) that’s part of learning and b) maths helps with career progression.
We are delighted that over half the group have signed up to directly impact children through volunteering in primary schools.
By sharing tips from their life experiences, these volunteers could be the real-life motivation that children need to help them to develop positive attitudes towards numbers.
This is especially important for children that don’t get that role modelling in their daily lives and those with socio-economic disadvantage, who have the most to gain from developing good numeracy.
The power of partnerships
It was a great session, encompassing a genuine willingness to learn and help others know what they don’t know about the power and joy of everyday maths.
No doubt there will be number natters taking place all over the country following that day, inspiring more people to take their first steps to improving numeracy.
We can’t wait to see what the group do next, through volunteering and beyond!
We extend our huge thanks to Experian for this amazing opportunity to spread the word and increase access to numeracy-building support.
Since 2017 this strategic partnership has had widespread national and local impact, underpinning financial inclusion by supporting people to build the number confidence needed to understand and work with their finances.
