Life Skills Launchpad is an Extension program designed to prepare young people for managing their finances and making big life decisions such as buying a vehicle, finding work, navigating housing and rental decisions, and paying their bills. Diana taught a 5-day series in juvenile detention so that the young people there, regardless of their prior financial education experience, have the knowledge to thrive independently. 12 youth in grades 8-11 participated. In their words, they learned:
- Be careful who you rent from and the more expensive houses aren’t better.
- Don’t just look at one job or house. Look at more than one.
- It’s a lot more to housing than face front
- What jobs would I like: Welding and mechanics
- house/rent: smaller houses are smart because of your budget
- look at rent and ask to get an estimate & price
- I learned I’m a stockpiler. I like to save my money and not spend.
- I learned my strengths and what I like to do