A lesson in economics

In today's harsh economic client, it's more important than ever to understand how the economy functions and why things work the way they do. Mike, who works in the Computer Lab on Wednesday afternoons, majored in economics at Stonehill College and currently works in finance at a firm in downtown Boston.

After spending one afternoon discussing supply and demand with one of the youth, he decided to create a kid-friendly slideshow explaining the laws of supply and demand to share with interested 808-812 youth.

The turnout was great, and, despite having just returned from a day at school, the kids were eager to learn and understand, especially because it involved money!

The kids learned the basics of supply and demand, and then were given real-world examples, such as why sunscreen is so cheap in November, and why Mobil charges more for a Pepsi than Shaw's does. After the lesson, the kids were rewarded with a cookie for having paid such great attention. There's an economics lesson right there: if you work hard and pay attention, you'll be rewarded!

The kids had a good time learning about supply and demand, so much so that we're working on coming up with another lesson for them. It's never too early to teach kids about responsibility with money, especially in today's lean times.

Above: The kids gathered around Mike to learn about supply and demand.
Below: The group pays attention to the lesson. Lena is even taking notes! Smart girl.