What things did you wish you had learned as a teen?

[BecomingAdultly]

I'm putting together a summer programme for teens and part of it is for them to learn skills out of the classroom. Right now I've got someone coming in to teach first aid, mindfulness, how to spot domestic abuse, presentational skills and how to budget. Anyone got any other suggestions? I'm trying to fill a week.

Interview skills?

Cooking/ nutrition ?

Oddly - how to wall paper - I can do any thing but wallpaper!

Extend your budget bit to include APR and credit card pitfalls.

Is this for off to uni/living on your own? how to change a duvet and oddly simple cooking tips (Food Tech is a pointless waste of curriculum time) and how to create meals out of next to nothing.

Careers? What's available?

I had no idea about certain careers until I was older I. E. Probation officer

Meal planning and how to buy food to make economical healthy meals for several days (using leftovers, adapting extra food etc)

Basic household skills I. E changing a lightbulb

How to handle money, savings and budgeting.

I wish id learnt to use a sewing machine. I love crafting but I cannot get my head around using a sewing machine. I wish id learnt when I was younger.

Seems like a lot for a week if it overloads them they might switch off. The budgeting though could be extended to a whole day imo

how to handle finances , manage a household.

Kids are not taught enough practical skills in school.

Budgeting would be great but I think you could branch out and do it more about "adult" money in general (e.g. tax, NI, pensions, savings).

So you could start off with an opening question for group discussion:
"What is tax and why do we pay it?"

Then after they've fed back and you've actually told them what tax is, you could give them a pen and paper and ask them "What percentage of our wages do we pay into tax?". Get them to be silent, not confer with neighbours and write down what they think. Then everyone who said under 10% put their hands up, between 10%-20%, 20%-30% etc.

Then you can tell them how much ta we pay on certain amounts of earnings. Then give them a calculator and 5-6 examples of different earners and they have to work out the tax each person will pay.

Obviously prizes for the most correct answers.

Then you could do similar with pensions.

Then the afternoon could be about budgeting and saving.

I say this because I started work at 18 and I had literally no clue about tax or NI or pensions. I mean, zero clue. I was a very worldly-wise and academically clever young woman but I had no idea at all.

Actually though I agree with other people- sounds like loads for a week. Each topic could be a whole day in itself.

Actually OP Toby I agree with other people- sounds like loads for a week. Each topic could be a whole day in itself.

Actually OP I agree with other people- sounds like loads for a week. Each topic could be a whole day in itself.

Gah, sorry, stupid fucking phone!

If you’re looking for money/ finance related stuff, have a look online at Barclays lifeskills. Plenty of materials etc for young people on a variety of topics including saving/ budgeting.

It would be good to have someone to talk about mental health - in fact the whole course could be that -haha. But to allow them to ask questions about things that seem so common now- depression , anxiety it would be tricky as some could have issues themselves, or their family members. But to ask someone face to face would be very interesting instead of gleaning knowledge online.

I agree a topic a day is best.

Within budgeting look for things that we can influence, rather than tax, credit scores, why we need them, what not to do, student finance. I've booked speakers and they've covered irrelevant stuff.

I agree with Mental Health and possible drug use connection is a must for Teens. Contraception could be slotted in amongst the health matters.

Growing veg in small spaces.

My teens both seem to hate making phone calls or writing letters or formal emails (about work experience etc) as that is not something they have learned to do. I think DS was 18 before he ever had to use a post office.

In the budgeting section, will you be talking about the difference between debit and credit cards, different types of credit, credit scoring, and why things like payday loans and store credit/shops like Brighthouse can be financially disastrous?

Does it have to be indoors? If not, basic car maintenance.

Pensions

Confidently making conversation with others; adults or bosses or what have you. I think it's one of the key benefits of children who attend independent schools - sadly overlooked in state schools although there are no doubt more complex reasons too.

At my school we invite 2 members of the community in to school and a group of 10 children (Y4 upwards) have lunch with them in the headmaster's study each week. It's fascinating and beneficial for all.

Sounds really weird but how to be social. I was quite an introvert and honestly had no idea how to handle myself in social situations with people I didn't know.

I think had there been something like this, maybe some role play, helping people to think of things to talk about with strangers it would have really boosted my confidence when I went out into the big wide world of work or found myself in social settings with people I didn't know.

7even yes, what you've described would have been invaluable to me!