RRWS ACADEMYRUNNING WITH SCISSORSJoin the interest list

Life doesn't come with a syllabus

Ready for what
comes next.

A hands-on academy for young people learning to manage money, work, home, health, technology—and the thousand small decisions adulthood expects.

Get course updates See what they'll learn ↓

Built for the moments school doesn’t always cover.
For high-school and college-age learners—and the adults cheering them on.

RWS / FIELD GUIDE001
A PRACTICAL EDUCATION INTHE THINGS
LIFE EXPECTS
YOU TO KNOW.
01
START WITH CONFIDENCEShow up memorable.

Connect, listen, speak and take the first measured risk.

02—12
BUILD REAL CAPABILITYLearn it. Then live it.

Money, work, home, health, people, tools and sound judgment—with homework between classes.

13
FINISH IN THE FIELDPut it all together.

A supervised survival weekend built around teamwork, navigation and resourcefulness.

13 CLASS EXPERIENCES1 CAPSTONE WEEKENDREADY ↗

13guided
experiences

11practical
skill areas

1capstone
weekend

∞real-life
applications

The name behind RWS

Growing up requires
a little courage.

RWS stands for Running With Scissors Academy. The name is memorable, but the idea behind it is serious: young people will face responsibilities that can feel unfamiliar, complicated, or even a little risky.

The goal isn’t to remove every challenge from their path. It’s to give them sound judgment, practical tools, and the confidence to move forward thoughtfully. RWS Academy turns the unwritten rules of adult life into skills that can be learned, practiced, and used.

Be prepared.Think it through.Know what to do next.
ASK THE QUESTION✦READ THE FINE PRINT✦MAKE THE CALL✦TRY IT YOURSELF✦KNOW WHEN TO ASK FOR HELP

The independence toolkit

Not just lessons.
Things they can keep.

BUILT OVER 13 EXPERIENCESTHE
RWS
FIELD
BOOK

One practical reference that becomes more personal, useful, and complete with every class.

01

Decision map

A simple framework for slowing down, comparing options, and choosing the next sensible move.

02

Life admin system

A repeatable home for calendars, documents, deadlines, contacts, and important follow-ups.

03

Conversation planner

Prompts for preparing questions, taking notes, and ending difficult calls with clarity.

04

Personal playbook

A growing collection of checklists, templates, and lessons written in the learner’s own words.

The real goal: learners leave knowing where to begin—even when they have never done the thing before.

The RWS course journey

Thirteen experiences.
One capable young adult.

The first class opens the door with confidence and connection. The final survival weekend puts the whole course into motion. Every class in between builds practical capability.

FIXED Opening classFLEXIBLE Classes 02–12FIXED Final experience
THE FIRST CLASS✦
01

Make yourself memorable

Start with the human skills that make confidence easier: introduce yourself, listen well, tell a good joke, learn a card game and a basic magic trick, and create a polished personal signature.

  • Introductions
  • Listening
  • Card game
  • Magic trick
  • Personal signature
MONEY + TIME$
02

Run your personal operating system

Build a calendar and a realistic monthly budget, prioritize what matters, break down large projects, manage procrastination, read a paycheck, automate savings, and understand credit without falling into debt traps.

  • Budgeting
  • Calendar habits
  • Credit
  • Emergency fund
  • Paychecks
COMMUNICATION“
03

Speak, write & present with purpose

Practice professional conversations, active listening, thoughtful questions, public speaking, clear emails, thank-you notes, documentation, presentation skills, phone etiquette, and a professional email signature.

  • Public speaking
  • Email
  • Letter writing
  • Presentations
  • Etiquette
CAREER↗
04

Land the job—and keep it

Create a strong resume and cover letter, build a LinkedIn presence, research employers, prepare for behavioral interviews, discuss salary, follow up well, and become the dependable teammate people want to retain.

  • Resume
  • Interviewing
  • LinkedIn
  • Networking
  • Workplace habits
PEOPLE⇄
05

Negotiate, compromise & relate

Understand social dynamics without losing yourself. Practice negotiation, respectful compromise, professional boundaries, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, receiving criticism, maintaining relationships, and knowing when to say no.

  • Negotiation
  • Conflict
  • Boundaries
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Relationships
AUTO◉
06

Roadside readiness

Learn the essentials of responsible car ownership: change a tire, jump-start a battery, check oil, coolant and tire pressure, recognize dashboard warnings, use the owner’s manual, and schedule routine maintenance.

  • Change a tire
  • Jump-start
  • Fluids
  • Warning lights
  • Maintenance
HOME⌂
07

Tools, repairs & household systems

Use common hand and power tools safely, understand household fuses and breakers, change an HVAC filter, do laundry correctly, make a basic sewing repair, clean effectively, organize documents, and follow an instruction manual.

  • Power tools
  • Fuses
  • Laundry
  • Basic repairs
  • Organization
FOOD+
08

Shop, cook & fuel yourself

Plan meals, shop from a list, compare unit prices, read nutrition labels, store food safely, build a few reliable meals, balance cost with nutrition, and clean up as part of the process.

  • Grocery shopping
  • Nutrition labels
  • Meal planning
  • Cooking
  • Food safety
HEALTH + SAFETY✚
09

Care, awareness & response

Practice appropriate basic care, know how to schedule medical and dental appointments, prepare useful health information, manage sleep and stress, build situational awareness, learn personal-safety principles, and know when professional help is needed.

  • Basic care
  • Appointments
  • Sleep
  • Stress
  • Personal safety
PAPERWORK§
10

Insurance, taxes & professional help

Understand common insurance, tax returns, withholding, benefits, leases, utilities and essential records. Learn how to prepare for a conversation with an attorney, accountant, insurer or other professional—and ask useful questions.

  • Insurance
  • Taxes
  • Benefits
  • Leases
  • Working with professionals
HUMAN + DIGITAL◎
11

Use technology without losing yourself

Build a life that is directed rather than reactive. Practice using AI to brainstorm, explain, organize and rehearse—then verify its output, protect private information, disclose its use and keep ownership of the final work. Understand social-media algorithms, comparison, permanence and healthy limits while strengthening purpose, judgment and self-worth.

  • AI literacy
  • Social media
  • Privacy
  • Critical thinking
  • Purpose
INTEGRATION LAB✓
12

Adapt, solve & follow through

Bring the systems together through team challenges that require research, digital organization, clear roles, leadership, problem-solving, accountability, feedback, self-discipline, and finishing what you start.

  • Problem-solving
  • Teamwork
  • Leadership
  • Adaptability
  • Self-discipline
THE FINAL EXPERIENCE▲
13

Survival weekend

The capstone: an immersive, supervised weekend where learners apply planning, teamwork, communication, cooking, navigation, safety, adaptability and sound decision-making in a new environment.

  • Preparation
  • Navigation
  • Teamwork
  • Safety
  • Resourcefulness

Practice between sessions

Homework that has
a real-world purpose.

RWS homework is not busywork. Learners might build a working budget, write and send a professional thank-you note, compare grocery prices, practice a meal, organize important documents, inspect a vehicle, improve a resume, or reflect in a journal.

Each assignment creates a reason to try the skill outside class—and something concrete to discuss, improve, and build upon at the next session.

LEARN→TRY→REFLECT→RETURN

Not worksheets. Real work.

Confidence is built
in the doing.

Every topic moves from explanation to action. Learners leave with a useful result, a repeatable process, and a better question to ask next time.

01MONEY

Build a budget that survives real life

Work from a realistic paycheck, cover fixed costs, plan for surprises, and decide what can wait.

02COMMUNICATION

Handle the call you would rather avoid

Prepare, ask useful questions, take notes, and leave with a clear next step.

03HOME + AUTO

Diagnose before you panic

Use the manual, check the basics safely, and know when the right move is calling a professional.

How learning sticks

A rhythm that moves
beyond the room.

Classes are part of a cycle—not isolated events. Each experience starts with relevance and ends with a reason to use the skill.

01
BEFORE

Notice

Start with a real situation, a useful question, or something learners have already encountered.

02
IN CLASS

Learn + rehearse

Break the task down, watch it modeled, ask questions, and practice with guidance.

03
BETWEEN

Try it

Use the skill in everyday life—at home, at work, online, in a store, or on the phone.

04
NEXT TIME

Reflect + improve

Share what happened, adjust the approach, and keep the parts that worked.

A quiet superpower

It's okay not
to know yet.

Capable adults are not people who already know everything. They are people who can stay calm, find trustworthy information, ask a better question, and take the next step.

RWS gives learners permission to:

  • Ask for clarification without embarrassment
  • Read instructions before acting
  • Change course when new information appears
  • Say “I need help” before a problem becomes a crisis
  • Make a thoughtful mistake and learn from it

Healthy technology habits

Use the tool.
Keep the judgment.

AI and social media are part of modern life. RWS Academy helps learners use them deliberately—without handing over their voice, privacy, attention, or ability to think for themselves.

THE RWS DIGITAL COMPASSHuman-led. AI-assisted.
01

Ask

Start with a clear purpose. Decide what you need to understand, make, or practice.

02

Use

Let AI help brainstorm, explain, organize, rehearse, or offer feedback—not make every decision.

03

Check

Verify facts and sources, look for bias, question confident answers, and protect personal information.

04

Own

Use your own voice, disclose assistance when appropriate, and take responsibility for the final result.

Who it’s for

A bridge between
knowing and doing.

For families who want young people to step into independence with more than good intentions.

01 / BEFORE COLLEGE

High-school students

Build a practical foundation before schedules, decisions, and responsibilities become their own.

02 / DURING COLLEGE

College students

Strengthen the systems and confidence needed to navigate life away from home.

03 / AFTER COLLEGE

Emerging adults

Prepare for work, housing, finances, and the next stage of independent adulthood.

The learning experience

Knowledge is useful.
Know-how changes everything.

This isn’t a list of rules to memorize. Each topic connects clear instruction to decisions, conversations, and tasks learners will actually face.

01
Understand it

Plain-language instruction makes unfamiliar responsibilities less intimidating.

02
Work through it

Realistic scenarios help learners consider options and consequences.

03
Practice it

Guided exercises turn information into something learners can actually do.

04
Take it with you

Useful frameworks and resources support the next real-life moment.

The RWS standard

How we decide
what belongs.

Every activity is designed around usefulness, thoughtful practice, and age-appropriate responsibility.

01

Useful before impressive

A skill earns its place when a learner can use it outside the classroom.

02

Practice before pressure

We rehearse unfamiliar situations before learners have to face them alone.

03

Judgment before shortcuts

Checklists help, but knowing when to pause, verify, or ask for help matters more.

04

Independence without isolation

Capability includes knowing which problems require a trusted adult or qualified professional.

The capstone weekend

Leave the classroom.
Bring everything else.

The supervised survival weekend is where the course becomes one connected experience. Learners plan, divide responsibilities, communicate, adapt, prepare food, navigate unfamiliar circumstances, and solve problems together.

PLANLEADNAVIGATEADAPTFINISH

Designed for learning: Activities use clear expectations, appropriate supervision, and qualified guidance whenever a topic calls for it.

What learners take away

More capable.
More confident.

The aim is not perfection. It is a stronger starting point—and a reliable way to approach what comes next.

01

Make informed decisions

Slow down, find reliable information, compare options, and choose a sensible next step.

02

Handle everyday responsibilities

Use simple systems for money, home, time, paperwork, and personal commitments.

03

Communicate with confidence

Know what to say, what to ask, and how to follow up in unfamiliar situations.

04

Recover when things go wrong

Approach mistakes and surprises as problems to solve—not reasons to give up.

05

Use technology with judgment

Work with AI and social platforms intentionally while protecting attention, privacy, credibility, and independent thought.

For parents & guardians

Support independence
without doing it all.

You want to be there for them. You also want them to learn how to handle things for themselves.

RWS Academy gives families a shared starting point for practical conversations—while giving learners space to build their own judgment, routines, and confidence.

Stay informed about enrollment ↗

Frequently asked questions

Good questions.
Straight answers.

01Who is the course for?

Running With Scissors Academy is designed for high-school and college-age learners who are preparing for greater independence. Parents and guardians are the primary enrollment decision-makers.

02Does my student need any prior experience?

No. The course starts with practical foundations and makes unfamiliar adult responsibilities easier to understand and approach.

03Is this a replacement for advice at home or school?

No. It is a structured complement to the guidance young people receive from families, schools, mentors, and other trusted adults.

04What will lessons feel like?

Lessons focus on clear explanations, realistic examples, guided practice, useful conversations, and tools learners can return to when they face the situation themselves.

05Is there work between classes?

Yes. Learners will receive practical homework between sessions so they can use each skill in everyday life, reflect on what happened, and return ready to build on it.

06Will students learn how to use AI?

Yes. Students practice using AI as a tool for brainstorming, explanation, organization, rehearsal, and feedback—not as a substitute for learning or judgment. They also learn to verify claims, recognize bias, protect private information, disclose AI assistance, and know when the work should remain entirely their own.

07Is the course sequence fixed?

The opening class and final survival weekend anchor the experience. The lessons in between can move to fit scheduling, guest instruction, facilities, weather, and the needs of each group.

08How are hands-on and safety topics taught?

Hands-on activities are designed around appropriate supervision, clear safety expectations, and qualified guidance where a topic calls for it. The course builds readiness and good judgment; it does not replace professional medical, legal, financial, automotive, or safety training.

09When will enrollment open?

Course dates, delivery format, and pricing are currently being finalized. Join the interest list to receive those details first.

Course interest

Help them step into
independence prepared.

Course dates, delivery format, and pricing are being finalized. Join the interest list to be among the first to receive enrollment details.

RUNNING WITH SCISSORS ACADEMY

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