by Stephanie Linton
Guest Blogger, Oquirrh Hills Elementary Community Learning Center
Teaching youth about the importance of saving and going to college has been on the top of the agenda this past month at the Boys & Girls Club in Kearns. For two weeks, 22 youth participated in a rigorous financial literacy course, learning everything from the difference between gross income and net pay to stocks and investments.
At the end of their two weeks, to celebrate their hard work, staff arranged for a field trip to the University of Utah. Youth were able to be involved in a 30 minute question and answer session in the student recruitment office where they learned about the differences between grants, scholarships, and student loans and also to discuss their future career plans. Later, they had an hour walking tour of the campus. Our youth had fun writing on the study boards in the sound proof study booths, admire the modern art, be fascinated by the automatic book retrieval machine and of course a tour of the student center, bowling alley and arcade.
This was a great experience for kids at the Community Learning Center to become more educated about what their options could be for paying for college and then also seeing how these things apply in a real world setting at the University.
**United Way of Salt Lake and The Boys and Girls Club of South Valley partner to expand cradle to career opportunities for kids and families in Kearns at Oquirrh Hills Elementary and Kearns Jr. High. The two Centers bridge programs and services to advance progress in the surrounding Kearns neighborhood.**
