Attractive advertisements that promise quick and easy money,
Instagrammers
that encourage investment, friends who have been seduced by the business... The world of
cryptocurrencies
is making some investors earn significant sums of money, but beware, because it is not gold all that glitters
Frequently neither the ads are what they seem, nor do
Instagrammers
recommend buying for free, nor do friends sometimes tell the whole truth.
Putting savings in one of the
digital currencies
that exist
involves risks
, many risks, and to raise awareness
among the youngest
, perhaps one of the most vulnerable groups, the
Community of Madrid
has launched a series of
talks
in 12 educational centers to inform and alert them of the dangers that this financial product entails.
Cryptocurrencies, pros and cons
arrived a few days ago at the
IES Arcipreste de Hita
, in Entrevías, where more than 30 students listened attentively to the explanations offered by Manu Marín, a trainer and economist at the
Institute of Financial Studies
, with who collaborates with the regional government.
"
Risks can be assumed but you have to be aware of them
. You must bet if you are sure, if you have money and knowing that if it goes wrong it will not affect your life. Keep in mind that you can lose everything", the trainer told them. during the talk, in which he also recommended that they never invest more than 1% of their assets.
Throughout the hour that he sneaked into the classroom, Martín spoke to them about the different types of cryptocurrencies and the
supermarkets
that sell them and alerted them to the
multitude of frauds
after assuring them that these investments are "very risky and little known". .
Sometimes, he told them, dodgy platforms "use friends to sell things or try to get you to sell to more people."
Other times
"they promise you that you will earn money quickly, but they will not let you touch it"
.
"I am not telling you not to invest, but to understand the risks", added the trainer to the young people, who did not stop asking questions, some quite precise on the subject.
"This (the cryptocurrencies) is for the money that is left over, to play. But
before I burned it, I spent it on a trip with friends
, going to the movies or the theater," he told them before offering them some advice for that economy that begins to emerge at his age.
"You must know your financial objectives, the risks, build your savings, create your
emergency fund
and invest for the long term," he advised the young people, whom he put in his pocket with simple examples and drawing on his own experience.
After the talk, Marín commented to EL MUNDO that he had not been surprised by the knowledge that the kids have about cryptocurrencies, but by the quality of the knowledge they possess.
"At these ages they begin to become aware that they need money and it is good that they establish their goals", as well as that they understand that
"they must have a financial plan just like they have a weekend or study plan"
, he assured about his first target.
One before and one after
"I knew what a cryptocurrency was, but it is true that the talk has brought
about a great change
. Now I know the risks involved in investing without first informing you where you are buying and I have also learned that you do not need to do it anymore, that it
is something that you have to think well
," said Mario, 17 years old and a 1st year high school student, after listening to Marín.
"
I have ever thought about investing but I think I still don't have the necessary knowledge
to do it", acknowledged the student.
The one who is ahead in that is David, 16 years old and Mario's partner, who has
been investing
in different cryptocurrencies for almost four years.
"This talk has helped me to see cryptocurrencies in a different way, to see how they work, how they are related to the metaverse...", explained the young man, who has come to earn, as he assured,
about 9,000 euros with these investments
.
"My brother is the one who has encouraged me the most to get to know this world and later I have learned a lot on the internet (...), although
I don't trust anyone
," said the student, who despite
playing
buying and selling
cryptos
does not think make it easy to earn a living like this.
"To invest you have to be lucky enough to arrive at the exact moment, to buy and sell at the right time," he
added, aware of the risks.
For his economics teacher, Ángeles Medina, this type of initiative is "essential, interesting and necessary to make them aware of the real risks that cryptocurrencies have."
"
Unfortunately, they take information that they shouldn't and are left only with the fact that it is an asset with which they can easily earn money
without much effort, and this is not the case, it has a significant risk, and that is what I wanted to show them," he told GREAT MADRID.
Promoted by the Department of Family, Youth and Social Policy of the Community of Madrid, the initiative ended this week.
More than 1,000 students
have participated in the talks during this pioneering call, although there will be more.
According to the General Director of Youth of the CAM,
Nikolay Yordanov
, the experience
will be repeated in spring
so that it can reach more educational centers.
"With the news that we are seeing lately, with what is happening, we believe that these talks are necessary to inform and educate young people about a financial instrument that has its positives but also many negatives," said Yordanov.
"
Young people can lose all their money and that is a drama
. There are people with money in cryptocurrencies who have woken up the next day with their lost money," he added.
This activity, framed within the
Finances with a Head
program , is aimed at students
between the ages of 15 and 23
in 4th ESO, Baccalaureate, Vocational Training and equivalents from public and subsidized centers, and has been complemented by the dissemination on social networks of informative videos about cryptocurrencies.
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