In the Fall of 2024, the teen volunteers from Robertson and Palms-Rancho Park Branch Libraries partnered in the Teens Leading Change (TLC) program to explore the subject of Financial Literacy for Teens. TLC Members are creating a financial literacy survey for their peers and will use the data to create workshops. Three TLC members share why Teens Leading Change and the topic of Financial Literacy is of importance to them:

I have regularly visited the Robertson Branch Library since my family moved to the Robertson neighborhood ten years ago. At the beginning of this school year, I became involved with Robertson's Teen Council (TLC), and soon after, I was made aware of the program Teens Leading Change, which I readily joined. Our team of teens is a partnership between the Robertson and the Palms-Rancho Park branches.

Aarna Kumar, a TLC member, joined the group because of her desire to make a global impact. "As someone motivated to make an impact on the world and to create a more compassionate, fair society, Teens Leading Change calls to me and gives me and others the space to do exactly that," Aarna said. "It allows me to find like-minded peers and to have support in creating a better world."

Another TLC member, Maddy Pine, was intrigued by previous projects she had heard about. "I was inspired to join TLC due to the projects I had heard about from the former teen librarian Emily as well as people I know from the library," Maddy said. "In the end, the main reason I joined Teens Leading Change was because connections are everything, and the teens in TLC are some of the most dedicated teens I know."

Teens Leading Change is defined as a program where a group of teens can "develop and participate in a civic action project and implement positive change in your community." So far, we are in the developing stage. The theme of our project is Financial Literacy, and we have met as a group both virtually and in person, under the guidance of librarians Bella Abrao (of Palms-Rancho) and Julie Bill (of Robertson).

I was excited when I learned of the financial literacy topic because I, like many other teens, am not well-versed in finance. I figured that I would gain significant knowledge while researching for our project. I hope all the Teens Leading Change members will benefit just as much as the teens we teach. Yes, you read that right. We will be teaching! If everything goes according to plan, our project will culminate with a financial literacy workshop where we will teach teens basic finance skills and explain methods to be financially autonomous in today's world.

So far, our group has begun working on an online form on which we have composed a myriad of questions about financial literacy. We also asked questions about where the respondents lived and their socioeconomic background. This data will help us learn more about the financial demographics of adolescents in Los Angeles. I hope that our data may be significant even outside of TLC. This is because, after conducting some brief internet research, it seems that teens' financial literacy knowledge is an issue that has not been thoroughly studied.

Each TLC member has different desires for the project. I hope that we can create a lasting impact on the people that attend our workshop. Good financial literacy knowledge can help people live more stably and comfortably throughout their lives.

Maddy hopes our project can better educate teens in schools. "I have always believed that finances should be taught to teens, preferably in schools," Maddy said. "I hope to bring more attention and educate teens on understanding finances with this project."

Aarna feels connected to the project personally and hopes that the project can empower students and help them overcome potentially limiting circumstances. "The financial literacy project is very close to my heart," Aarna said. "I come from a socioeconomic background on the lower end of the spectrum, and this has influenced how I view financial decisions and choices. My background and personality cause me to believe that regardless of socioeconomic background I originate from, by learning about finances and educating myself on how to handle financial matters effectively and responsibly, I proactively deny circumstances to be a limitation."

Aarna hopes that the workshops will help high-achieving students gain the skills to accomplish their goals.

"Originally this year, I wanted to host financial literacy workshops, especially for students like me with dreams to go to top universities but a lack of resources to do so, and this project is a perfect path to accomplish this," Aarna said. "I hope this TLC project can break through the stereotypical financial literacy education and truly connect with our high school audience, meeting students where they are. At the end of the day, this project is all about empowering students who will be the next generation of leaders."

Although our project is still in the early stages, I feel confident that our TLC group will be able to create a thorough and comprehensive workshop series and present our knowledge. I am also confident that, as we get to know each other, we will become a close community, united in our hopes to lead and be changemakers. Indeed, the name "Teens Leading Change" is quite fitting for a group like us.

—James Corman

James is a 10th grader at Harvard-Westlake high school. He loves to write, draw, compose music, and care for his pets. His favorite author is Susan Orlean, and his favorite illustrator is Maurice Sendak.

—Julie Bill, Young Adult Librarian, Robertson Branch Library.

The Teens Leading Change initiative has funded and launched 52 projects across 60 branches with over 600 participants, including 9 projects across 10 branches that are happening now! Go to lapl.org/teens/tlc for more information.