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.