MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDERS

Everyone who reaches adulthood has had to think about managing and growing their money. Personal finance is a topic so important in our everyday lives, yet it is so infrequently taught in our education system. Wilson, Jack, Joelliane, and Kathleen, the founding members of FLY to the World - bringing Financial Literacy for Youth to the world, noticed this. Our organization aims to educate youth, particularly in under-represented communities, the basics of finance so they are more prepared and knowledgeable for the future.

After months of planning and pre-work, a date was set for our first teaching session. From August 8-10th, we all hopped on zoom to teach our first group of students. We watched in anticipation and excitement as new faces popped up on our zoom screens one-by-one. In total, about ten kids from Black Parent Union in Beaverton, Oregon joined the session on the other end. We educated them about the basics of personal finance, covering budgeting, savings, banks and credit unions on the first day, credit management on the second day, and investing on the last day.

Our sessions were interactive – students were constantly asked to answer questions about the material, and they were encouraged to ask questions themselves as well. We also created a variety of activities such as spending scenarios so they would be engaged throughout the entire lecture. Our students were lively and eager to participate, which we really appreciated. 

After we waved goodbye to the kids on the final day, we talked amongst ourselves and were all happy to see some of the impacts we made. One student had started writing a spending diary to track each purchase she made. Another participant had said, “This class makes me feel like a businesswoman!”

We acknowledged both the successes and areas of improvement of our first teaching experience. We’re planning to host more sessions in the future to bring financial literacy to more under-served youth around the world. Coming soon.