The economy is often the feature story in our daily news. Synthesizing life is an essential skill for teenagers. The visual arts are a wonderful tool for students to process their situations and explore future aspirations. In this article, the author describes a lesson plan he developed to help students better understand their own situations, as well as the situations of others. The unit started with a brief introduction, and then the students were shown a short film titled "The Ultimate Resource: Eusebio's Dream." It tells the story of a Peruvian family's financial struggle when they lose the right to their property. This was followed by a group discussion. Finally, the students personalized the theme with a series of compositional sketches and written work. (Lists 1 online resource.)