Peer-led
Every session is facilitated by University of Calgary students, close in age and stage of life to the youth they teach. Personal finance stops feeling abstract when it comes from someone who just figured it out themselves.
Now recruiting: two roles open
Turning cents into sense for Calgary's youth.
Lilypad Learning is a student-led non-profit bringing relatable, peer-led financial education to youth, one workshop at a time. Real stories. Practical tools. Zero lectures.
Proud to have worked with
Why we exist
Canadian youth are graduating without the money skills they'll need first.
Alberta's curriculum touches on money management, but students consistently tell us they feel unprepared to apply it in real life. The gap is real, and it's measurable.
73%
of Canadian high schoolers say they lack the knowledge to make informed financial decisions.
80%
of students don't understand fundamental concepts like debt.
61%
believe their generation will be financially worse off than their parents.
Our approach
The Lilypad difference
We don't lecture youth about money. We invite them into a conversation about why it matters now, led by people who were in their seat a few years ago.
Story-driven & interactive
Short, true "story snapshots" from our educators ground each topic. Then we get hands-on: needs-vs-wants challenges, credit-score myth busting, and our Build Your Stax investing game.
Community-informed
We deliver where youth already gather: rec centres, schools, libraries and community hubs. We build programming with community input, with a particular focus on underserved and newcomer youth.
Free · 60 minutes · Ages 13 to 19Delivered at your school or venue
Our flagship workshop
Turn Your Cents Into Sense
A simple, engaging introduction to personal finance built around the three pillars of financial literacy.
- Budgeting: needs vs. wants, managing part-time income, and planning for post-secondary life.
- Debt: how credit really works, what a credit score is (and isn't), and how to avoid common traps.
- Investing: stocks, bonds, ETFs and compounding, explained through a gamified simulation.
Our impact
It works, and we measured it.
Every workshop includes pre- and post-session surveys. Our 2025 program evaluation, led by our Director of Educational Psychology, found a statistically significant increase in overall financial literacy after just one session.
p < 0.001
significant lift in financial literacy scores
72%
reported high intent to take financial action
59%
reported high confidence managing money after one session
69%
of community members rate money skills "extremely important" for youth
Students who are typically less engaged in traditional classroom settings were actively participating. The interactive, conversational approach resonated strongly with learners.
Educator & community partner feedback, 2025 program cycle
Get to know us
Built by students who wish they'd learned this sooner.
Lilypad Learning was founded by five Haskayne School of Business students who wanted to share the financial knowledge they wish they'd had growing up. Today we're a growing team of educators, curriculum designers and community builders across the University of Calgary.
Now recruiting · Fall 2026
Want to teach the class you wish you'd had?
We're hiring University of Calgary students for two volunteer roles: Financial Literacy Educator and Director of Educational Psychology. First and second years from any faculty welcome. Applications are open now and reviewed as they arrive.
Get in touch
Let's bring a workshop to your youth.
Schools, community organizations, youth programs: if you work with young people ages 13 to 19, we'd love to hear from you. Sessions are free and we come to you. Honorariums are welcome and help us reach more youth, but never required.
- Based inCalgary, Alberta, serving Calgary and surrounding communities
Thanks, message received!
We'll get back to you within a few days. In the meantime, feel free to explore our workshops.