A Message from Penny Forward Founder and CEO, Chris Peterson

Hello Penny Forward Members and Supporters,

I just got back from the National Federation of the Blind of New Hampshire state convention—a cozy gathering of about 45 amazing individuals who are blind or have low vision. We came together to socialize, learn, and inspire one another. As I was making my way home yesterday, my mind was buzzing with all the incredible experiences and stories I wanted to share with you.

I could tell you about Dr. Randy Pierce’s uplifting opening remarks on leadership or the inspiring keynote speech from Danielle McCan. Maybe I could recount my adventurous attempt at playing pickleball with Lex from New England Disabled Sports (spoiler: it’s harder than it looks!). And then there’s Stephen, a blind entrepreneur who’s creating light-up long white canes to make us more visible to drivers at night. He has big dreams for his business, and we’ll be featuring him on the Penny Forward Podcast very soon—so stay tuned!

But then, I stumbled upon a fascinating Fast Company article about social learning that really struck a chord with me. It made me realize just how essential community and shared experiences are, not just in our personal lives but in our professional growth as well.

The Lost Art of Social Learning

Post-pandemic, many organizations have shifted to hybrid work models. While there are benefits to this flexibility, something vital has been lost: the social side of work. Instead of everyone interacting together in person, people largely work in isolation, attending virtual meetings with their cameras off. This shift has impacted how companies upskill their employees. Leaders are finding that their current learning and development efforts aren’t as effective as they’d hoped. They rely mostly on content libraries or self-guided courses, which have known limitations for long-term retention and behavior change.

Why Does Social Learning Matter?

Social learning is the practice of learning material in the company of others. Whether in person or in a rich virtual environment, the core insight is that when we learn something with other people—be it a college study group, a cooking class, or workplace training—we encode the information more robustly in our brains and feel more motivated to act.

Humans have evolved to encode social information automatically because it’s always been essential to our survival. The more we feel connected to the group, the greater our chances of staying safe. Over time, our brains have become more responsive to what we learn in the presence of others.

When we engage in social learning, we remember not just the information but also how we felt during the lesson and how others reacted. This creates a more robust web of memories. Interestingly, when individuals learn together, their brain activity becomes more synchronized, increasing overall understanding and ultimately predicting better learning outcomes.

The AGES Model™ and Social Learning

Social learning heightens three of the four components of learning in The AGES Model™: Attention, Generation, and Emotion. (The fourth component, Spacing, involves putting time between learning sessions.)

• Attention: Focusing closely on the material without distraction.
• Generation: Linking new information to existing knowledge and sparking insights.
• Emotion: Having feelings that enhance recall.

Social learning amplifies these elements, like turning up the volume on a stereo. Without a social component, learners won’t pay as much attention, generate connections to past learning, or feel emotions around the material as deeply.

Turning Knowledge into Action

In addition to encoding information more deeply and recalling it more easily, social learning helps us act on that knowledge. The social pressure of knowing what others expect of us—and not wanting to let the group down—motivates us to apply what we’ve learned. In other words, social learning doesn’t just help us know better; it helps us do better.

Building Community at Penny Forward

When I founded Penny Forward, I was inspired by other social learning groups I’d participated in. I took cues from the Courage Kenny Handiham Program, a community I’ve learned from and volunteered with since 1992. I also thought about the sense of belonging I gained from playing on the Minnesota Millers beep baseball team from 2012 through 2021, and the joy I get from playing blind darts with the Twin Cities Blind Audio Dart League.

These communities gave me so much more than just skills or hobbies—they provided a network of support, friendship, and shared growth. Little did I know, until now, that this sense of community was actually enhancing our learning. It makes sense, though, and I’m glad I found this article to give me even more evidence that communities are beneficial on so many levels, including learning.

How Penny Forward Fosters Social Learning

At Penny Forward, we’ve built community into our financial education process because we believe in the power of learning together. Sure, you can learn entirely on your own through our self-paced online courses. Many people, including all of the students at World Services for the Blind, do this every day. But learning with a group helps you build those skills and behaviors even more quickly and strongly.

That’s where our Weekly Workshops, Tuesday Turning Pages Book Brunch, and Financial Sense¢ programs come in. These group Zoom calls allow you to learn with others—not only by listening to instructors and speakers but also by hearing the questions and comments your fellow participants contribute to the discussion. Whether you participate a little or a lot, the relationships you build in the group are as important to your learning as the discussion topics themselves.

And if you’re feeling a bit unsure about jumping right into discussions, our monthly Member Meetups are a fantastic opportunity to get to know our community in an informal and welcoming way.

Don’t forget to check out our events calendar to stay updated on all our upcoming programs and workshops.

Join Us and Be Part of Something Bigger

So, I wholeheartedly invite you to join Penny Forward and participate in our community. Whether you’re blind, have low vision, or are sighted, whether you’re new to money management or have been doing it for years, you’ll gain so much from being part of the vibrant community we’re building.

By becoming a member, you’re not just signing up for financial education—you’re joining a network of individuals who support each other, learn together, and strive to achieve financial independence and freedom.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Simply follow this link to join Penny Forward today. Let’s learn, grow, and succeed together.

Sincerely,

Chris Peterson, AFC®

Founder and CEO, Penny Forward

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P.S. Don’t forget to check out our upcoming events and resources on our website, and listen to the latest episodes of the Penny Forward Podcast. We can’t wait to welcome you into our community!