After reflecting on their interests, strengths, and the contributions they want to make to the world, it was time for research. The students needed to dig deeper into the careers they were curious about: how to get there, the potential income, the pathways, and what they could start doing now. The most memorable moment came when one student realized how little teachers earn. “Is that enough to live on?” they asked, shocked. The accompanying teachers responded with sad smiles, quietly affirming that yes, in Indonesia—and in many other countries—teachers earn low wages. Then, excitement sparked in the room when a student discovered that an air traffic controller could earn around 15 million rupiah per month. Their joy was contagious; other students immediately became curious about the job. What stood out most was a usually passive student who became intensely focused, passionately researching how to become an entrepreneur. He typed rapidly, completely absorbed in figuring out his pathway. This generation of Gen Z, armed with the internet, is incredibly focused and curious. They can have so much fun learning and discovering, yet they rarely get the chance to fully optimize their learning with technology.

After the driving question was introduced, the room slowly came alive. We played games to form group. Each group took time to establish a shared agreement, deciding how they wanted to listen, speak, and support one another throughout the journey. We then returned to the questions that lingered in their minds—their WONDERs. Many voiced the same feeling based. They knew from the stories, it seems many successful people have figured out what they want to do in their life. However many of them are confused and don’t know where to begin in order to be successful. “Where do we even begin?” That question became the turning point of Day 1. Before talking about saving money or managing expenses, students were invited to look inward. The next session focused on figuring out yourself—discovering personal interests, exploring possible careers, and imagining how they might earn a living in the future. Because financial wisdom does not begin with numbers; it begins with understanding who you are and what value you can offer the world. This reflective session was led by Nurani Fitriah, an educational psychologist, who gently guided students to connect their strengths, passions, and aspirations with real possibilities for income and contribution. For many students, this was the first time they were asked not just what job do you want, but why, and how can you might get there. It marked the beginning of a powerful realization: before learning how to manage money, they must first learn how to build a life.

The Sovereign Generation learning journey begins with a driving question: “What can we do to ensure that no students from Darul Ulum fall into financial traps—and beyond that, how can they thrive in the economy of tomorrow?” Over the course of four days, students will work toward creating a final product designed to educate their juniors at school. This product aims to help younger students avoid financial debt, make wiser financial decisions, and build the mindset and skills needed to thrive in the future. The lesson then continues with a KNOW–WONDER activity. Students are asked to write down: • What they already KNOW about avoiding financial traps and achieving financial success, and • What they WONDER or are curious about after engaging with the driving question. This activity helps surface prior knowledge, reveal misconceptions, and guide the direction of inquiry throughout the project.

The students slowly opened the door of another room. Inside, the room was dark. Silent. The air felt heavy. At the center stood a single figure—motionless—wearing a mask. No greeting. No explanation. After a long pause, the figure began to speak. He told a true story—one that started far from home, while he was working in Qatar. What began as “just trying” online gambling slowly tightened its grip. Loss after loss piled up, turning into a snowball of desperation. To keep chasing what was already gone, he fell into predatory loans. One debt led to another. In the end, the burden took everything—until he was forced to sell his last and most precious asset: his home. When the story ended, the silence returned. As their eyes adjusted to the room, they began to notice the walls. Written all around were real stories of people who had made devastating financial decisions. One story, in particular, made the students stop and frown. It was about a fisherman who lost his savings—3.5 billion rupiah—kept in a bank. The students were confused. How could someone lose money in a bank? Aren’t banks supposed to be safe? What happened to the fisherman? Did he ever get his money back? Those questions stayed in their minds—and became the starting point of their inquiry.

In inquiry-based project learning, every learning journey begins with a powerful hook session. During this session, students are immersed in two contrasting stories. In one room, they encounter people who achieve financial success through wise decisions. In another, they see the realities faced by those trapped in poor financial choices. This contrast invites students to reflect deeply on the consequences of the decisions we make. The experience becomes even more meaningful when real people share their stories. One of them is Nabila, a fellow Bitcoiner, who openly tells her journey—from starting with nothing, facing hardships, and choosing to focus on self-improvement, to eventually building her own business. She shares how learning to manage her income and carefully choosing assets and investments through research changed her life. Her story leaves a lasting mark on the students. In their own words, they realize that success is not instant—it is built through consistency, hard work, and the courage to keep learning and seizing opportunities.

On the first day the students learned about themselves, their interest, things that they want to do growing up, how would they earn their money. Doing deep research on career, income projection, and how to get there. Facilitated by education psychologist

Second day: The introduction to asset classes.

At first, there was a part of me that hesitate toward making a theater play to introduce how fiat money is created. “Would it be silly for adults to act in front of students?” Turns out after the sessions, two students told us how helpful those acts since it makes things easier to understand and fun!!

The first collaboration of generasi merdeka (me) with Bitcoin Indonesia in British School Jakarta . In the first session, with simulation and theater act, we introduced the problem of fiat money and inflation, as simple as possible. The second session : the students were exploring about different assets like gold, stocks, bitcoin, real estate and discussing with their friends which are the best for them. A journey of thousand miles start with a single step, indeed. Here is one for more to come. Lesson learned: seating matters, discussion is essential for engagement and learning process, a theater play is memorable and bring a unique experience to the audience ❤️