Opening Activity - Game Night

On Wednesday, May 1, the Hustle PHX team, powered by AmeriCorps AZ, further continued on the journey previously started, in which 16 justice-involved youth were selected for the purpose of becoming the next generation of (restorative) Hustlers through the all-new YEP 101 course.

adobe mountain school juvenile detention facility

This week, the youth would again be playing the game CASHFLOW: a game by Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki., picking up from where they left off the previous week. To open up the night, the team started off by going over some of the rules. They also checked to see if the cohort liked the game and allowed them to ask questions(if they had any). After that, the games then (re)commenced.

Most if not all of the games were pretty much able to pick up where they left off from the previous week. And thanks to the experience/knowledge that the cohort gained from the past couple of weeks, things were able to run pretty smoothly. You could hear the cohort not only playing and engaging but also weighing their (financial) options, reacting to circumstances they may have found themselves in, and also exercising math skills in the counting and/or divvying out of assets. Something else of note was that one banker was chosen for each game based upon their math skills, and at times several youths would fill in for their respective bankers while they were absent (even though math may not have been their strongest suit).

The cohort played and interacted with each other, the team, and the volunteer staff. Eventually, the games were wrapped up, and the cohort was dismissed. In the end, no one made it out of the rat race, however it was still a fun, casual evening in which the youth were again able to expound upon the information they learned a couple weeks ago (in regards to financial literacy) and also, in a way, begin to put it into practice.

Game Night - Closing Thoughts

While none of the cohort made it out of the rat race, it doesn’t really matter because they were working with a limited amount of time, and at the end of the day, it’s still just a game. However, most, if not all, of them displayed a fair amount of financial literacy skills, which is where the true value and victory lie. So while the cohort was playing the game (a game that could leave some adults stumped), they were also gaining a head start for the (rat) race that they have yet to enter.

 

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Hustle PHX yep team at adobe mountain school

YEP Partnership Launch at Adobe Mountain School

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This publication was made possible by the Arizona Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family (GOYFF) through grant number 24AC265250. The views, opinions, or policies expressed belong solely to the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the GOYFF.