By Andrea Ferrero, Executive Director
About Pockets Change
The Pockets Change mission is to build intergenerational financial resilience with students, families, and educators. We believe financial education is about much more than numbers, it’s a means for self-care and social justice. We provide workshops, curricula, and ongoing support where students, parents, and educators develop an understanding of their personal relationship with money, new ways of thinking and talking about money, and the skills to take action and advocate for themselves and others.
It all happens through Hip Hop pedagogy, which focuses on understanding self-identity in relation to the whole. By connecting hip hop and finance, we develop an understanding of ourselves and our relationship with money. We build financial habits that resonate with our personal identity. We discover how we process information and how to communicate and collaborate effectively.
Together we are working to address systemic issues of educational equity and the racial wealth divide. Our program supports youth in taking agency in their personal financial decisions through peer conversations, unpacking systems, developing habits, identifying personal values, and advocating for what they want now and in the future.
Moving Financial Literacy Forward
Student and Family Workshops – Within our classrooms, we have the ability to lower students’ levels of stress about discussing money and increase the frequency of these conversations among peers and families. Teaching financial literacy is an important step toward financial wellness, self-efficacy, and economic mobility. Increasing access to financial education is essential to building a more equitable future. Together we can break down barriers and let each other know that money is a tool and a process—you’re not wrong, you’re not bad at money, and you’re not alone.
Professional Development Teaching Financial Resilience Series– Teaching our youth about finance impacts much more than wallets; it’s critical to self-advocacy, promoting social justice, and addressing educational equity. Together we’ll look at the transformative power of having money conversations to enrich learning and equip diverse learners with tools to create change.
A curriculum exploring earning, entrepreneurship, spending, saving, banking systems, credit, goal-setting, job prep and career readiness and much more. Our materials for educators include instructional guides, slides, videos, writing prompts, project-based learning activities and graphic organizers.
Money Buddies Conversations Instructional Strategy
Brave Spaces Instructional Strategy
What’s New
Check out our new Asking For a Friend Webcomic, the ongoing series unpacks financial questions and inspires conversations where we can create change together.
HipHopFinFest virtual concert, in collaboration with HipHopCU, FPP, Spondulics, California Jump$tart and many incredible schools and community based organizations we held our first #HipHopFinFest with almost 2000 live viewers. We can’t wait to share what’s in store for next year. Check out the grand prize winner JC Meraki from California with her song, “What Money Means.” All students were given access to a wealth of information about saving, earning money, and the systemic inequalities that make things more difficult. JC Meraki’s Winning Music Video.
Connect
Subscribe to Money Talks e-newsletter
Follow on Instagram and Twitter @PocketsChange
Like the Facebook page
Tweet This:
“In order to talk about money we also need to talk about the racial wealth divide.” @pocketschange educators Andrea Ferrero and @dyalektraps share why equitable financial literacy education is a necessary step towards addressing income inequality.” http://bit.ly/TFApockets
Contact:
Andrea Ferrero, Executive Director
Pockets Change
Friday Five
- These Youth Accounts Allow Students to Trade Stocks and Funds
- Allowances for Kids: How Much?
- Student Loans Take Mental Toll
- Teachers Strive to Bring More Parents Into Personal Financial Education
- 5 Money Concepts High School Students Should Know
Coalition Corner
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Visit this link, create a profile, search for resources, and give a review. As an added bonus, your review could win you a $100 gift card. We value your feedback and look forward to your reviews!
