The Teen Advisory Council of Projekt NYC developed a curriculum covering core personal finance skills to middle school students across Queens.
Photo courtesy of Projekt NYC
More than 35 middle school students from across northwestern Queens received free financial literacy instruction from high school students at the Queens Public Library’s Steinway Branch in Astoria on June 24.
The program was organized by the Teen Advisory Council of Projekt NYC, a youth-driven initiative within an Astoria-based nonprofit that empowers students to develop leadership skills through community service, educational programming, civic engagement, mentorship, and creative expression.
Over several months, student council members — including Alexander Verwoert, Sophia Freire, Elsa Lucas, and Sophia La Cotera — developed a curriculum covering core personal finance skills, such as budgeting, saving, responsible spending, and making informed financial decisions. These concepts were incorporated into interactive, age-appropriate workshops with activities designed specifically for middle school learners.
Following the workshop, all middle school participants received certificates of completion and community service verification letters recognizing their active participation in the program.
Workshop participants engaged in interactive, age-appropriate activities, learning skills such as budgeting, saving, responsible spending, and making informed financial decisions.Photo courtesy of Projekt NYC
Ted Psahos, executive director of Projekt NYC, said the event showcased what young students can accomplish through collaboration.
“This program demonstrates the power of young people teaching and inspiring one another,” he said. “Our Teen Advisory Council members invested countless hours developing this curriculum and preparing to teach. Watching them confidently lead a classroom and seeing younger students so engaged in the material was incredibly rewarding.”
Projekt NYC envisions the workshop to be a benchmark for its Freedom to Learn Financial Literacy Challenge. The competition tasks high school students from across the city to produce accessible financial literacy lessons for middle school audiences. The challenge’s winners, set to be announced later this August, will partner with Projekt NYC during the 2026-2027 school year to lead workshops across Queens.