Workshops for High School Students
53
%
the money reality
Of Americans CAN'T
afford a $1,000 emergency.
- Bankrate’s 2026 Annual Emergency Savings Report
That is not an income problem. It is a systems problem. Most of those people earn enough. They just never learned what to do with the money once it arrives. Nobody taught them a system, so they spend on emotion and wonder where the money went.
meet the money mentor
After graduating with a 1.99 GPA, Corben entered the real world and started earning a low GPA in his finances too. This time GPA stood for exactly how he handled money: Get paid. Proceed to spend. Ask questions later.
In 2018, Corben and his wife were $70,000 in debt. Using the same principles he now teaches, they paid it off in 14 months on an average income.
He went on to earn his Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®) certification and now coaches adults through debt, budgeting, and retirement every single day.
Which is exactly why he teaches teenagers. He spends his days cleaning up problems a forty-minute workshop at sixteen would have prevented.
A simple system to help students understand their spending habits. Students leave knowing how to remove the guesswork when it comes to their money.
Before you spend, stop and strategize.
Every bill gets divided across the paychecks that arrive before it comes due. No scrambling. No last check of the month covering the biggest expense.
Slow down and prepare for irregular expenses.
Christmas comes every year. So does car registration. Students learn to treat once-a-year expenses like monthly bills.
Go, spend freely.
Once red and yellow are handled, green money is theirs. Guilt free. Budgets are not restriction. Bad budgets are.
the cash in hand method
A credential does not hold a sixteen-year-old's attention. Stakes do.
In every Systems Build Structure workshop, real cash moves across the room. Students compete to answer, to solve, to prove they understand what's being presented. When they get it right, money goes in their pocket.
The result is a room where students are leaning forward, hand up, shouting responses. For forty straight minutes.
Correct answer · warm-up round
$5
Guess McDonald's 2024 revenue
$10
Name what the parts make up
$50
Traffic light challenge round
$10
Closing rounds
$45
Into students' hands, per session
$120
Breaking down financial complexity is what Corben does best.
Our youth were engaged from start to finish, learning skills most students never get in school. The Traffic Light framework gave them something real to walk away with. For any organization working with young people, I'd recommend this without hesitation. It doesn't just inform; it equips.
— Satoria Ford, Youth Program Coordinator | Mutual Housing
Corben's message that 'money doesn't make you rich, systems do' is top tier, and he instantly grabs students' attention. As facilitators, we're always trying to find ways to keep youth's attention, and Corben has it instantly. His energy always seems to work.
— Ryan Makins, Community Program Manager| Mack Road Partnership
ready to enlighten your students
One day, one workshop, and proof that it worked.
