This summer, BFF of America brought a new kind of classroom: BFF Academy, an online program that brings financial literacy to students from wherever they are. Our first cohort of the summer met twice a week: every Tuesday and Thursday for a month. Eight lessons in four weeks gave students a complete and useful foundation they can add to their lives right away.

Every lesson that is taught is a different part of money management. Students began learning about earning income, and then moved through spending and budgeting, saving and investing, credit and debt, risk management, financial-decision-making, financial planning, and finally consumer protection. The order was important as they first went into how money comes in, then how to manage, grow, protect, and plan your money. They moved across many different aspects that might seem very broad, but come together to set a foundation for their financial journeys.

The lessons were built around interactive aspects, not just listening plainly without retention. The earning income lesson covered the difference between earned and unearned income and between gross and net pay, with paystub analysis and familiar examples that made the numbers feel real. BFF shared that students loved the trendy references to LeBron James and Mario. Later sessions covered opportunity cost and comparison shopping, SMART goals and emergency savings, spotting phishing, fake stores, and subscription traps. But that wasn’t all, more lessons included ways to see their learning progress such as knowledge checks, discussion prompts, and quizzes so students could see what they understood and what they needed to practice more.

None of this would be possible without our tutors who guide the sessions. Strong tutors, like the ones BFF has, make the material easy to approach and understand. It shows learners that financial literacy is something they can master and share their knowledge to others.

BFF Academy is one more way we’re working as an organization to put financial education within reach of every young person interested. If you’re a student who wants to build money skills, a parent looking for a place to teach your child about finance, or a student who wants to help out the community, apply on our website. Strong financial habits start with a single lesson, and our first summer cohort covered eight of them, with many more to come as the journey continues to help growing financial-decision makers.