Booshke Giin | It's up to you, it's your decision!

Why use Booshke Giin?

Puzzle pieces with illustration of fish and someone called Trickster Wenebojo from an American Indian legend. — Art by R. Brightman used with permission in the Booshke Giin.

Booshke Giin (It’s up to you, it’s your decision!) is a creative approach to involve American Indian youth in active learning experiences that make financial education concepts relevant to their everyday decisions. The Booshke Giin lessons attempt to push aside mainstream ways in favor of storytelling to teach core financial concepts. The approach and the lessons are adaptable for other youth audiences and combines personal finance concepts and American Indian legend stories. The lessons are based on Ojibwe and other tribal legend stories, to reinforce financial concepts and incorporate Ojibwe vocabulary and cultural information. Youth are able to reflect on the story to make a meaningful personal connection between the financial concept and their own culture.

American Indian youth do not often see themselves and their cultures reflected in the classroom. Booshke Giin teaches financial concepts using American Indian values such as: love, leadership, honor, and highlights the important connection between people and the earth.

Students work on paper in a classroom together

Many female high school students with their hands raised and a teacher pointing at one.

A group of high school students working at desks

What to expect

An illustration of Sugar Bush, a large turtle image with people inside its shell, tending a campfire. — Art by William Wilson used with permission in the Booshke Giin.

Who should use the Booshke Giin?

Primarily teachers in K-12, after-school program leaders, and community educators working with youth programming can lead sessions. The lessons are aimed at late elementary- middle school, but it does work for all grades K-12. This curriculum can be taught in many settings including schools, afterschool programs and community education.

What will we learn?

The curriculum covers financial concepts, American Indian stories, Ojibwe words and how to bring new information home to their families.

How much time does this take?

There are six modules in the curriculum and although modifications can be made, each one takes about an hour of class time to teach.

Can I get printed copies?

A limited number of printed booklets of Booshke Giin are available for free to use with youth in your community. Please contact Mary Jo Katras, mkatras@umn.edu, to learn more.

Get The Booshke Giin

Lesson plans to use with youth audiences.

Download your free copy

Mary Jo Katras, mkatras@umn.edu, Extension program leader in family resiliency, and Rebecca Hagen Jokela, retired Extension educator in family resiliency

Reviewed in 2022