Helping youth improve their financial literacy is the goal of Youth Finance University, with free online classes available to Snohomish County youth ages 5-13.

These classes — live-streamed on Saturdays and Sundays — are led by dedicated, forward-thinking high school students and focus on key financial topics like budgeting, credit and investing. You can register for the classes by going to the YFU website and clicking on the sign up. All that’s needed is an internet connection and a willingness to learn.

Youth Finance University (YFU) is a student-led program, offering financial education to elementary and middle school students in the greater Seattle area. The program’s mission is to “to empower young minds with essential financial knowledge, making complex concepts accessible and engaging for students.”

What started as a Newport High School DECA project with three 16-year-old friends — Princeton Lock, Nik Bhotika and William Ross — has now grown into accepting students from King and Snohomish Counties. Lock, the project lead said, “Our goal is to make financial literacy accessible to everyone.”

YFU was founded on the belief that our traditional K-12 education has a lot of wonderful classes, but it doesn’t always prepare students for real life because money management information is lacking. With a shared passion for finance and the skills to facilitate workshops, these high school students created a proposal for financial literacy and then put their plan into action.

Most kids in elementary school don’t care about long-term wealth because they don’t understand its value. “The heart of YFU is about empowering children to take control of their financial futures — something that often isn’t taught in school,” Lock said. His team wants to set the stage for healthy habits by starting at a younger age. Students at YFU can expect to learn how to budget, save and commit to responsible spending. After taking the classes, students should leave with practical skills they can apply immediately.

One example of the program’s success: A third grader used the strategies taught in class and successfully saved for her first major purchase instead of spending her money on impulse buys. According to Lock, this is “exactly the kind of behavioral change we aim to achieve” at YFU.

These high school students have already developed curricula, facilitated workshops and created outreach initiatives to broaden their impact. And they aren’t done yet. Lock explains that his team is “committed to continuing and expanding this program to address the systemic lack of early financial education in our community.” They are thinking ahead by actively working on a long-term sustainability plan so that the program will continue to meet its mission of helping to bring financial literacy to a broader and more diverse group of young learners long after they graduate from high school.

Lock’s team is currently training younger student leaders and exploring partnerships with schools and nonprofits. At the same time, they are working to expand language offerings to make financial literacy more accessible, especially for underserved communities.

Congratulations to Lock, Bhotika and Ross for launching YFU. They are emerging young leaders who are making a difference in our community.

You can learn more about Youth Finance University here.

Amelie LaPorte-Manahan is grateful to live in Edmonds. She is a sophomore at Seattle Prep High School, where she is a part of the journalism club and Black Student Union. Amelie also plays varsity basketball and softball.