162: Money and financial education with Pockets Change

Pockets Change is a hybrid organization (s-corp and non-profit 501c3) working with K-12 and college communities across the country. They provide workshops, curriculum, 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 effectively communicate & collaborate. Pockets Change curriculum and programming empowers youth, their families, and their educators to see money as a tool and financial decision-making as a personal path that they can navigate.Together we are working to address systemic issues of educational equity and the racial wealth divide. Their 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. By starting with self-care and personal agency we build our individual capacity to take part in social justice efforts where youth-led problem solving and professional relationship building for social impact can happen. ANDREA FERRERO CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTORAndrea Ferrero became an educator over a decade ago to be part of changing the world. Teaching on the Navajo and Hopi reservation where she grew up, Andrea saw how even the brightest students faltered when money moved from math class to practical application. Looking for tools to address issues of educational equity, Andrea stepped into the world of financial literacy and ed-tech.She brings over a decade of experience in teaching and learning, curriculum and program development, and community capacity building together to design award winning educational programs and digital products. Andrea holds a teaching credential in PreK-12th grade multiple subjects and two Master’s in Educational Leadership and Curriculum & Instruction with Multicultural Contexts.Leading Pockets Change, Andrea works with schools, organizations, and businesses to make finance fun through innovative educational approaches and meaningful ed-tech tools. She has served as a delegate to the World Innovation Summit in Qatar, the ASCD Supervision and Curriculum Development Delegation in China, the Multi-Age Learning Institute in New Zealand, and the Mozilla Open Leaders in England. Andrea is also a board member of the California Jump$tart Coalition.She is always happy to share coffee and a conversation about changing the world through the development of financial capability.www.pocketschange.comSocial media@PocketsChangeResource mentionedSavage Inequities - Jonathan KozolShow SponsorThe National Association for Primary Education speaks for young children and all who live and work with them. This includes parents, teachers, governors and all those interested in primary education. NAPE is a non-political charity and works tirelessly to support teachers in the classroom.https://nape.org.uk/