Country of Residence
United States
Age
16
Project title
Back To Basics
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
This project teaches teens important life basics that are not always covered in school, including reading cursive, counting money, reading clocks, and understanding geography. Its goal is to close knowledge gaps and prepare students for everyday situations.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannah-t-1577543a2/ Canva Poster: https://canva.link/7g7d25sl8un2xpj
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Idea (We’re hoping to get started in the future)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
This project was inspired by several moments when I noticed that many students were missing basic life skills that are often assumed to be common knowledge. One of the most significant moments happened when I was looking at a map with my younger sister. Because she had moved schools, she missed a geography unit and admitted that she did not fully understand the difference between a state, a country, and a continent. What surprised me was not that she had missed the lesson, but that there were very few accessible resources available to help her quickly learn these fundamental concepts on her own. Around the same time, I noticed similar gaps among my classmates. In one of my math classes, a few students asked the teacher what time it was, and when the teacher pointed to the classroom clock, they explained that they did not know how to read an analog clock. These experiences made me realize that many young people are missing basic skills due to missed lessons, changes in schools, or shifts in what is taught and emphasized in classrooms today.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
One challenge facing many students today is that important everyday life skills are often overlooked or missed altogether. Students may change schools, miss lessons, or simply not have opportunities to learn foundational concepts such as reading an analog clock, counting money, reading cursive, or understanding basic geography. While these skills may seem simple, they play an important role in helping young people navigate everyday situations with confidence and independence. This matters to my community because every student deserves access to practical knowledge that helps them succeed both in and outside the classroom. By providing free, accessible lessons on essential life skills, my project helps students build confidence, strengthen their independence, and gain knowledge that they can use throughout their lives. My goal is to make basic learning resources available to everyone, regardless of their educational background or experiences.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
To address this problem, I am developing Back to Basics, a website that will help teens learn essential everyday skills that they may have missed in school or never had the opportunity to learn. The goal of the website is to provide a free, accessible resource where students can build practical knowledge and confidence through simple, easy-to-understand lessons. The website will include topics such as reading cursive, counting money, telling time on an analog clock, understanding the differences between states, countries, and continents, and other fundamental life skills. Each lesson will be designed to break down complex concepts into clear, manageable steps so students can learn independently and at their own pace. My solution focuses on a gap that is often overlooked. While many educational resources emphasize advanced academic subjects, students who struggle with basic skills may not always have access to resources specifically designed for their needs. Back to Basics aims to fill that gap by bringing important life skills together in one convenient platform. I believe this website can make a difference by helping students gain confidence in areas where they may feel unsure or embarrassed to ask for help. Whether a student has missed lessons because of moving schools, absences, or other circumstances, they will have access to resources that can help them strengthen their understanding of everyday concepts.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Because Back to Basics is still in development, my impact so far has come from raising awareness about an often-overlooked issue. Through conversations with friends, family members, and classmates, I have discovered that many students struggle with basic skills such as reading an analog clock, understanding geography concepts, reading cursive, or counting money. These discussions have helped validate the need for a resource dedicated to teaching foundational life skills. My goal is for Back to Basics to make these skills more accessible to students who may have missed lessons due to changing schools, absences, or other disruptions in their education. By creating a free and easy-to-use website, I hope to provide a place where students can learn without fear of judgment and gain confidence in areas where they may feel uncertain. In the future, impact will look like students using the website to fill learning gaps, improve their understanding of essential life skills, and feel more prepared for everyday situations. I also hope to measure impact through website visits, user feedback, and the number of students who engage with the resources. As the project grows, my goal is to reach students both within my community and beyond, helping them develop knowledge that will benefit them throughout their lives.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
What makes Back to Basics unique is that it focuses on foundational life skills that are often overlooked in traditional education. While many educational websites and programs concentrate on subjects like math, science, and reading, fewer resources are dedicated to teaching practical skills that people often assume students already know. As a result, students who miss lessons or need additional support may struggle to find a central place where they can learn these important concepts. My project takes a different approach by creating a single platform dedicated to everyday knowledge. Instead of focusing on advanced topics, Back to Basics helps students learn practical skills such as reading cursive, telling time on an analog clock, counting money, and understanding basic geography. These are skills that many students may feel embarrassed to ask about, even though they are important for daily life. Another innovative aspect of my project is that it is designed from a student's perspective. As someone who has seen classmates and family members struggle with these concepts, I understand the types of knowledge gaps that students experience. This allows me to create lessons that are relatable, easy to understand, and focused on real needs within my community. Back to Basics also addresses a challenge that is becoming more common as students move between schools, experience interruptions in learning, or miss specific units. Rather than assuming everyone learns the same information at the same time, the website provides a flexible resource that students can access whenever they need it.
How many people are on your team?
1
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
At this stage, I am the sole member of my team. I am responsible for researching the problem, designing the website, creating educational content, and planning how the platform will be used by students. Being the only team member has allowed me to take on multiple leadership roles and make decisions efficiently. As the project grows, I hope to gather feedback from students, teachers, and community members to help improve the website and ensure it meets the needs of the people.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next year, my primary goal is to fully develop and launch Back to Basics as a free online resource for students. In the next few months, I plan to create the website's structure and develop lessons covering topics such as reading cursive, telling time on an analog clock, counting money, and understanding basic geography. I will focus on making the content easy to understand, interactive, and accessible to students of different ages and learning backgrounds. Once the website is functional, I will gather feedback from students, teachers, and community members to identify areas for improvement and ensure the resources meet real educational needs. This feedback will help me expand the website and add new topics based on what students want and need most. As the project grows, I hope to connect with local businesses, organizations, and potential sponsors who can help increase awareness of the website and make it accessible to a larger audience. I also plan to share my findings with educational leaders and community stakeholders to advocate for greater attention to foundational life skills within the education system. My long-term vision is for Back to Basics to become a trusted resource that helps students fill learning gaps, gain confidence, and develop practical skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
Although Back to Basics is still in the development stage, I have already shared my idea with friends and family members, who have been very supportive and encouraging throughout the process. Their feedback has helped me refine my ideas and better understand the types of skills that students may struggle with or wish they had learned. As I continue developing the website, I plan to involve more students, teachers, and community members by asking for their input on the content and design. I also hope to promote the website through schools, social media, and community organizations to raise awareness about the learning gaps many students experience. By encouraging others to share their experiences and suggestions, I can ensure that Back to Basics addresses real needs and reaches the students who can benefit from it most. Through these efforts, I hope to build a community of supporters who can help spread awareness, improve the project, and advocate for the importance of foundational life skills education.
