Troubled Teen School Teaches Troubled Youth How to Earn and Manage Money

It is really easy for a teenager to take advantage of their parents and not realize that there is a direct correlation between hard earned money and spending. The boy's Wilderness Program Manager of Shepherd's Hill Farm, Christian Wilderness Boarding School for troubled teens, had this idea in mind when he developed the "40 Hour Work Week" project. The project allowed the boys the opportunity to develop a strong work ethic, how to be good stewards of our money, and the importance of tithing and saving money.

The project began with each student earning $5.00 an hour for an 8 hour work day. This allowed each student to potentially earn $200.00 for the work week. Artificial money was used in this effort to demonstrate the supply and demand of money. The work assignment was to reconstruct a cabin at a new campsite which required a rental fee for the use of tools. They would start their day with daily devotions to the Lord, make their lunch for the day, and eat breakfast. Soon they would discover that they had to pay for those meals, and their break time snacks. Work started on the jobsite promptly by 9:00am. At 10:30am, they were given a 15 minute break. Lunch time was from 12:30 - 1:00pm. Another 15 minute break was given at 3:00pm, and the workday ended at 5:30pm. This schedule probably sounds pretty familiar for all those working parents, but not necessarily to a troubled teen.

Besides paying for their meals and tool rental fees, the students were instructed to give back to the Lord in the form of a tithe, which meant 10% was given back immediately on payday before other expenses were paid. Other essential everyday living expenditures incurred were water and electric bills, laundry and shower facilities, taxi rides, and entertainment expenses. All of these items had a price tag on them, and the students were taught to budget for each of them. Also, students were strongly encouraged to put money aside into a savings account. Saturday was a day off, but they still had to pay their bills and purchase entertainment. Therefore, those who were wise put some money away each day of the work week into a savings account for the weekend. This taught the students the value of saving money, and that there are still bills to pay regardless if you were paid wages that day.

In an effort to teach a strong work ethic, on the jobsite the struggling teens learned that "slacking off" on the job does not pay. In fact, they learned that slacking off actually cost them money. If a student was caught "falling down" or "goofing off" on the job, their pay would get docked .25 cents an hour. Or, if they misused a tool, they would have to pay extra rental fees for another tool to continue the workday. This taught the struggling teens that they would only have enough money at the end of the week to pay for the bare essential living expenses, and they would not have enough money for entertainment or recreation. It also taught them to take care of the tools properly, or it would cost them money.

On the other hand, these troubled teens learned the value of doing a job worthy of recognition. Not only were they rewarded for a "job well done" in the form of hourly raises, they were also allowed to receive a onetime bonus of $2.00 for their extra efforts. The students who ended up having a balance in their savings account at the end of the project were actually given a "real world" reward for adhering to the principles of "saving for a rainy day." All in all, there were many, many teachable moments throughout this "40 Hour Work Week" project, and valuable lessons learned on budgeting and how to spend and save your hard earned money. This is just one example of the many significant life skills that are taught at Shepherd's Hill Farm, Christian Wilderness Boarding school for troubled teens.

Shepherd's Hill Farm is a Christian Boarding School; outdoor residential program located on an 86 acre wilderness facility in Martin, GA for troubled youth ages 13-17 struggling with a variety of negative behaviors. We are equipped with a completely devoted Christian staff that uses biblical principles in a loving authoritative community environment.