About this episode
The episode discusses initiatives to prepare teens for university and life, addressing confidence, independence, and financial literacy.
Many families are looking for healthier ways for teens to build confidence, independence and real-world skills. Teenovation is one UAE initiative trying to tackle exactly that through volunteering, internships, leadership projects, entrepreneurship and social activities for teenagers.us is Founder Margareta Luis joins Helen in the studio. Plus: Employers and educators are increasingly talking about the “readiness gap” - young people who may be academically strong, but feel overwhelmed by independence, pressure, interviews, communication, or simply backing themselves outside the classroom. This summer, a new two-day UAE bootcamp aims to tackle exactly that. The University Edge Intensive takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre in June - Founder Swarnima Guha and Jazz Ferguson tell Helen how they're helping students prepare not just for university, but for life beyond it. And finally, is Buy Now Pay Later a good idea? Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com, gives us the lowdown on how these platforms can benefit us, and what pitfalls we need to avoid. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Host: Helen Farmer
Guests: Margareta Luis, Swarnima Guha, Jazz Ferguson, Steve Cronin
Topics covered
- teen development
- university preparation
- confidence building
- real-world skills
- financial literacy
Keywords
- teens
- university
- confidence
- independence
- financial literacy
- volunteering
- internships
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Teenvation, DeadSimpleSaving.com
Places: UAE, Dubai World Trade Centre
More episodes of Afternoons with Helen Farmer
- Where to get Emirati food · June 12, 2026 · 1h 40m
- Less Screen Time, More Story Time · June 11, 2026 · 35 min
- Menopause: brain fog and longevity · June 10, 2026 · 1h 9m
- What does it mean to be a strong man today? · June 9, 2026 · 1h 38m
- E-scooter injuries on the rise in kids · June 8, 2026 · 1h 31m
- Why The Beam is your ideal family dining spot · June 5, 2026 · 1h 43m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Afternoons with Helen Farmer podcast page.