Challenge
Fighting Inequality Through Holistic Education
Life Literacy Education (LLE) began in an unexpected place: a university sociology classroom, where a student’s powerful question sparked a movement.
“One day we were discussing poverty in class, and a student said: ‘We’re always talking about these problems. When are we actually going to do something about it?’” shares Audie Wood, executive director of LLE.
This call to action inspired the creation of a holistic financial literacy curriculum designed to empower underserved youth. By building financial, mental health and inclusive literacy, the program helps learners navigate systemic barriers and build the confidence and skills they need to succeed.
“People often think that teaching students to manage money is enough,” explains Wood. “But poverty isn’t just about budgeting. The LLE curriculum gives young people critical real-world skills to navigate systemic challenges—and just as importantly, it helps them imagine what’s possible.”
To make an immediate impact, LLE started by offering system-involved youth a path towards personal and professional success, thereby reducing the likelihood of recidivism. As a diversion program, juvenile offenders have the opportunity at a second chance instead of serving their sentence. The growing enthusiasm and positive feedback from participants underscore the program’s potential to significantly influence more lives.
“I know we can make a bigger impact through an online platform than by teaching in individual classrooms,” says Wood. “It allows us to reach not only system-involved youth, but also other young adults seeking direction—and help them chart a new path—one where they understand how to cover the cost of education, build financial security and make informed decisions that shape their future.”
Solution
Partnering to Extend LLE’s Reach
After a thorough review of the market, LLE selected D2L Brightspace as its strategic learning management system (LMS). Brightspace proved to be the most user-friendly platform from both the student and instructor perspective. It was also cost-effective, which is crucial for a non-profit operating with limited resources.
“The customer success team was key to the decision to go with Brightspace,” adds Wood. “I don’t feel like just another customer when it comes to working with D2L. It feels like a partnership: everyone comes together to drive the mission, no matter how many questions I ask.”
Working closely with D2L, LLE designed and refined its program for online delivery. The eight-week online course contains seven modules, each of which takes around a week to complete, plus one extra week to help learners settle in and give a grace period to those who may struggle to access or use technology.
To help them stay on track, students also have one-to-one check-ins with their instructor regularly throughout the program. “It’s important to give students deadlines to encourage them to complete the course, as well as to teach them time management,” notes Wood. “It’s these tiny ways of teaching life skills that make this class special.”
The modules cover three main topics: life skills, financial literacy and career development. The topics are underpinned by discussions that aim to destigmatize mental health problems and teach learners how to take care of themselves and their loved ones.
“We start with a section called ‘Discovering your path’,” explains Audie Wood. “We get students to think about what they’re good at and passionate about. We then connect those interests with the careers available in their communities and show them what education and training they are going to need. The point is to put them on a trajectory to gainful employment. You can learn to budget all you want, but if you don’t make enough money to cover the bills, the budget means nothing.”
Driving Connection and Engagement
As part of the design process, LLE leveraged various Brightspace features to boost the impact of the course. For example, the awards tool allows the organization to gamify assignments to drive engagement. At the same time, assignments are underpinned by rubrics to help learners navigate the course.
“The ability to set clear expectations with Brightspace rubrics has been a game-changer,” says Wood. “Compared to other LMS platforms I’ve used as a teacher, it’s a very easy-to-use tool, and it helps our students understand the goals of each assignment.”
The assessments in LLE courses are entirely based on written responses, because the goal is to empower learners to communicate more effectively.
“A written response through journalling in the discussions tool makes students reflect and open up, and in turns helps me discover their needs,” explains Audie Wood. “Then I can set up a Zoom call and have a discussion with them about their needs and connect them with the right resources.”
Result
Investing in the Future
By shifting its courses to an asynchronous online delivery model, LLE has been able to increase its reach and grow steadily without adding headcount. Today, the organization serves the juvenile court system in Kentucky as well as the New York City school district. The organization also partners with other non-profits such as Trace of Hope, which offers LLE learners a financial grant towards higher education costs.
A third-party evaluation company, Grantibly, assessed the impact of LLE courses across five cohorts of learners from diverse backgrounds. By the end of the program, participants were significantly more likely to have a plan for their future, seek employment, build their credit and avoid legal trouble.
The post-program survey revealed striking gains: 95% of students said they knew how to build credit—up from just 34% at the start. Even more notably, 100% of students reported knowing how to create a monthly budget, compared to only 32% in the pre-survey.
Shifting Attitudes for Change
As a result of the LLE course, students reported making meaningful, positive changes—not only in their own lives, but in the lives of their families. One student shared “I started helping my mom out more with money. I learned it was okay to tell my story to maybe one day to help someone else that struggles with mental health.” Another added, “As a result of this program I started thinking about how to involve myself more in school in a way that it could benefit me for future job applications. Also started to manage and budget my allowance better.”
“What we saw consistently in the report is that there’s always a change in attitude towards their future,” explains Wood. “They see the course as relevant. I’ve had one student tell me that he initially didn’t want to take the class because it sounded boring, but when he saw how it applied to his real life, he started having fun.”
LLE is seeing particular success in the Kentucky juvenile court system, with up to 40% higher satisfaction levels reported compared to other diversion programs. The LLE program is also in the top five longest-running diversion programs in Kentucky. To date, it has enabled 95 learners to have their criminal records expunged.
“The thing is, what we teach is simple,” explains Audie Wood. “The key is to make it not intimidating for students. That’s why we’re seeing an amazing 80% completion rate from the juvenile court system. That’s why caseworkers and guidance counselors are reporting positive changes in attitude and behavior. It’s just the basics, but if you can get a kid to believe in themselves, they’re going to embrace the opportunity.”
Looking forward, LLE hopes to expand its operations to cover the foster case system in Tennessee, bringing resources and confidence to more young people than ever.
“Every aspect of this class is building students up and showing them that they have value: once they have that, they make better life choices,” concludes Audie Wood. “We’re proving every day that these kids are worth investing in, and Brightspace is going to continue making this class and our mission accessible to everyone.”
Interviewee:
- Audie Wood, executive director