Saweetie is all about growing her bag and teaching future generations how to do the same. According to multiple outlets, the rap superstar has announced a youth financial literacy program through her Icy Baby Foundation.
The initiative was kicked off in Elk Grove near Sacramento, Calif. last month, and recently held an event in Oakland, Calif. on December 10.
Young people between the ages of 7 to 17-years-old can enroll in the six-week program and will be outfitted with a funded debit card, and educational resources around budgeting, investing & financial planning. Prospective participants can officially join when the program rolls out in January 2023. Although January’s classes are sold out, prospective participants can visit the Icy Baby Foundation’s website to join the waiting list.
“It’s important for me to always focus on the bigger picture when it comes to my voice, the reach that I have, and my platform,” Saweetie exclusively shared with ESSENCE. “I’m very intentional about how I utilize those things.”
She continued: “Since Saturday we’ve had so many kids sign up for the program, more than we expected. I don’t take my platform for granted. I want to remain focused on creating a positive impact while pursuing my bigger purpose in life. This financial literacy program and the work my foundation does is fulfilling to me because I’ve always wanted to utilize my platform and resources to elevate our community, especially the kids. When it comes to financial literacy this is something my grandmother instilled in me at an early age. She’s a woman who was from the projects and elevated herself to get a college education and become very successful.”
Outside of charting a path in music, she’s a staunch advocate for education.
“As a University of Southern California alumna, education is very important to me too. Now that I have this influential platform I want to be able to pass some of that education down to the younger generation. This program will be taught in conjunction with experts in different financial fields and I think the youth will be able to take away knowledge that will equip them for a better future both financially and socially.”