This past Summer, a non-profit organization called “Mission ABQ” collaborated with Money & ME to host a three day Teen Workshop. Mission ABQ has been operating since 2005 and has a partnership with the ministries of Sandia Church of the Nazarene. Their mission is to help people turn the corner from a place of need to a place of service to others. One of their initiatives to do this was to coordinate and host a Teen Workshop. This Teen Workshop:
- Taught Money Management and Financial Financial Literacy Skill
- Provided training in basic life skills
- Offered great lunches, snacks, door prizes and FUN games.
The intense heat prohibited outdoor activities, however indoor games and learning were a bonus. They partnered with math professor, Anthony Onimole, who taught basic principles of Algebra 2 to complement the 3-day workshop. Anthony represents “Forward Bound Youth Empowerment” another grassroots non-profit organization. Patti Rivas, Director of the ABQ Mission Training Center, used the Teen Edition of the Money & ME program called “Dollars 4 YOU WOW (Words of Wisdom) Edition” This provided the teens with practical advice and wisdom as they understand the world of money. The teens were attentive and curious on how to best utilize their money and had a better understanding of how .money is spent in their household. The main takeaway from the class was the opportunity to budget, save money and identify their needs vs. their wants. One of the questions on the registration form asks, “What are the top 3 things you spend money on?” A classic answer was “useless items.” After going through the curriculum, the teens agreed they could cut back on purchasing “useless items” which often included snacks and energy drinks. The said they could put money into savings. 
Each teen received a Money Kit along with the “Dollars 4 You” Teen Workbook. The Money Kit provided helped teens understand concepts about putting money into different spending categories. It also gave them a notepad and pen to record their spending. This was a really fun camp that gave the teens practical, simple methods to use as “best practices” as they begin their life journey of understanding money. They value the importance of earning money and money that is given to them.
Although it has been a few months since the teens completed their camp, they are still talking about it. Recently, Mission ABQ received a report that one of the teens had earned some money doing odd jobs and put that money into a savings envelope. She is excited to see her savings increase. The teens had fun, learned a lot, and have recommended this workshop to their peers, parents and younger siblings. If anyone is thinking of doing financial literacy as part of a teen camp, Mission ABQ highly recommends it!Patti Rivas, DirectorMission ABQ Training CenterP.S. Would you like to earn a FREE Money & ME Workbook & Kit? Write and share a story about your Money & ME program! You can focus on how you structure your program, a participant success story, the perspective from the trainer….your choice. Congratulations to Patti for writing this awesome story and earning a FREE Workbook & Kit with her next order. Let’s share how Money & Me is helping people gain control over their money and their lives.