As the economy struggles in the wake of the worst financial crisis in generations, the value of financial knowledge has rarely been so apparent.

It was with that in mind that Riquette Bonne-Smith, executive director of the Centre for Talented Youth, embarked upon a project that will give some gifted students from both public and private schools a head start in the study of economics.

She enlisted the help of Miguel Daponte, vice-president of BF&M Investment Services Ltd., who taught an economics class at Bermuda College during the summer.

Mr. Daponte is teaching the one-year "Microeconomics in the Global Economy" course in a one-and-a-half hour weekly class, which began at the recent start of the school year.

"This will help to give young Bermudians an understanding of the financial world," Ms Bonne-Smith said. "It is a way of exposing talented children with a strong background in maths to this subject and help them to understand how we fit into the global economy.

"It will also help them to make better decisions on finance, not emotional decisions."

Mr. Daponte said the course would expose the Mr. Daponte said the course would expose the children to a different type of learning to what they are used to in school.

"We do follow a textbook, but the way I teach the class is more on an open discussion basis," Mr. Daponte said. "This is a subject that they would normally not be exposed to until they got to university.

"These kids have a very bright future. When I was growing up, the career paths I was encouraged to look at were accountant, lawyer or doctor.

"Now, in Bermuda, those paths are the same, with insurance also in there. But this will help these kids to understand that you don't have to take those career paths. You can be a financial analyst, or a physiotherapist, anything you want to be.

"I'd like to do anything I can to help to broaden the minds of these young people."

The children participating in the course are: Torrae Wainwright, Israel Sanchez, Timothy Webb, Yolanda Dyer, Shantae Young, Aldon Campbell, Steffany Sanchez, Jorae Talbot, Assata Wedderburn and Jahde Rabain.