Free Books for Summer Enrichment!

Emily Smith, a Senior Girl Scout in Wilton and member of the Class of 2029 at Wilton High School, has published a first-of-its-kind financial wellness learning journal for middle schoolers as her Girl Scout Gold Award project—and she wants you to have a copy for free!

The book combines traditional financial education with reflective journaling to help young people build confidence around money management. For each financial concept, readers will find a brief explanation, a real-world case study, comprehension questions, and a journaling prompt designed to help them connect the financial concept their own lives and emotions.

“Financial stress is one of the top causes of anxiety for adults,” said Smith. “My goal is to get kids comfortable with financial concepts in middle school so that as they grow up, they can feel confident building financial wellness.”

The project builds on Smith’s Silver Award work, through which she organized the “Get Moving” Festival focused on mental health and wellness for tweens and teens. Recognizing that financial stress is deeply tied to mental health, Smith used that work to build this resource. 

Before publishing, Smith field-tested the book with Girl Scout Troop 50373 in Wilton, administering pre- and post-assessments to measure learning. She also piloted the material with a multi-age troop in Virginia. Results showed knowledge gains across all age groups, with the most significant improvements in more complex financial concepts. Smith used that data to refine the book before publication.

Said Norfolk VA troop leader Emily Goodman-Scott, “Emi did a great job with making it easy to understand. The girls actually absorbed the information. We used the book as a discussion point so that combination of discussion and journaling was impactful to our girls.” 

Since its release, the book has already been distributed at Pierrepont School in Westport and the Unquowa School in Fairfield. It was also distributed at the Ms. President US election. Smith has also donated the book to Darien Book Aid to send copies around the globe.

Free copies are now available to any and all at Trackside Teen Center during open hours — just stop by and ask (while supplies last)!  Girl Scout leaders and teachers can also download any portion of the book at no cost at www.futurefinance101.com to use with their students and troops and parents can feel free to download and use for summer enrichment.

For more information and to download a copy of the book for free visit www.futurefinance101.com!