From Food Insecurity to Financial Confidence: Building Futures Through Financial Literacy

Authors: Elizabeth Divis, Hay Soe, & Melissa Pearson 

From Food Insecurity to Financial Confidence: Building Futures Through Financial Literacy

Real Life, one of Youthlinc’s core programs, is an after-school peer-to-peer mentoring program that supports refugee and immigrant youth across Salt Lake County. Founded in 2010, the program was created to address a gap in services for refugee teens and has since grown to serve more than 500 youth annually across multiple sites. Through partnerships with schools and community organizations, Real Life provides a comprehensive curriculum that includes financial literacy, academic support, social-emotional learning, and college and career readiness—equipping students with the skills they need to succeed beyond high school.

The students Real Life serves are primarily from low-income families, many navigating the challenges of resettlement, language barriers, and unfamiliar systems. In response, the program creates a consistent, supportive environment where students can build confidence, develop practical skills, and form meaningful relationships with mentors and peers.

During one of Real Life’s sessions, students participated in a service project for the Utah Food Bank. One student, who had not been an active participant, came into her own and lit up at the opportunity to serve—sharing that her own family had received food from the Food Bank. Many of our students come from backgrounds of food insecurity, reflecting the broader financial hardships their families face. For those who are newly resettled refugees or immigrants, the U.S. financial system is often unfamiliar.

Our students are perceptive and aware of these challenges, something we consistently see in our program. Through our partnership with Merrick Bank, Real Life provides annual financial literacy education to help fill this gap and equip students with a foundational understanding of finance. This knowledge is especially important for the population we serve, as financial literacy plays a key role in improving their families’ circumstances and their own futures.

This partnership offers valuable face-to-face interaction with financial experts that students might not otherwise access. Merrick Bank volunteers lead Financial Literacy lessons for K–8th grade students and Job and College Readiness sessions for 9th–12th grade students, helping to supplement curriculum with practical, real-world applications. As one observer shared, “Financial literacy was great… [the volunteer] really connected with the students and had so many effective ways to engage them.”

This year, Real Life continued to use a financial literacy curriculum developed and delivered by Merrick Bank employees. We are grateful for the time and resources invested in creating this visual, interactive program, which included lessons on: Currency & Banking (coins, bills, and checks); Credit, Debit, and Prepaid Cards; Budgeting Basics; and Budgeting and Financial Goals.

The unit consisted of four lessons and a review. Students first learned to identify types of currency, understand their value, and recognize the elements of a check. They then explored credit terminology, the impact of credit use, and differences between card types. In Budgeting Basics, students practiced tracking income and expenses and creating a simple “Spend, Save, Give” budget. The final lesson focused on setting short-, mid-, and long-term financial goals and savings accordingly. Each lesson included interactive activities to reinforce understanding and retention, often brought to life by volunteers who “made it really engaging for the kids” and adapted to student needs—even translating and connecting in students’ native languages when needed.

One standout volunteer this year was Anna who worked with our teen group at Sunnyvale Neighborhood Center. In her second year, she ensured the curriculum was relevant by asking students what they wanted to learn and prioritizing the most meaningful topics. She shared real examples from her own life—saving money, getting out of credit card debt, identity theft, and applying for jobs—emphasizing connection and real-world impact. Anna’s approach made it clear she cared deeply about her students, and they responded in kind.

That sense of connection was felt across our sites. Volunteers built relationships through small but meaningful gestures—nicknames, consistent encouragement, and even simple incentives. “The volunteers had nicknames for the kids… the kids were really happy,” one reflection noted. Another shared how a volunteer’s one-on-one attention helped a student who had been disengaging begin to thrive.

We would not be able to offer this financial literacy curriculum without the partnership of Merrick Bank and its dedicated volunteers. Some partnerships are signed on paper, but this one goes beyond that. Merrick Bank creates the curriculum, supplies the volunteers, and invests deeply in our students. The impact we see would not be possible without them.

At the end of each year, when Financial Literacy concludes, students ask if their “friends from the bank” will be at their pizza party. They use the word “friend” intentionally. These volunteers do more than teach financial concepts—they create a space where students feel seen, heard, and supported, contributing meaningfully to their social and emotional growth. We are grateful to our partners at Merrick Bank and to every volunteer who gives their time and presence to Real Life.

Looking ahead, Real Life is committed to continuing and expanding this work—reaching more students, deepening curriculum, and strengthening the bridge between financial knowledge and real-world application. With plans to grow to additional sites and serve even more youth, continued investment is critical to sustaining and scaling this impact. For those who want to be part of this work—through partnership, volunteering, or support—there is an opportunity to help build pathways for students to thrive.