I was just thinking about my Junior Achievement (JA) experiences today and decided that I should start keeping a log and discussion about my times in the classroom and other "episodes" that have developed thanks to my association with JA. So why not "blog" them and share with others! I first became involved with JA through my employment at Household International, subsequently HSBC. I have continued supporting JA since my departure from HSBC in June, 2008 because the organization provides volunteers to teach students in grades K-12 important lessons about personal finance, business, workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and economics.
The students learn life skills that don't come under the "reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic" umbrella from people who often have a background in business. The volunteer's knowledge and skills, coupled with their being a "new face" to the kids in a classroom help give students a fresh outlook on what to expect from life when they become adults. Starting in kindergarten, children learn about money and savings through stories that are read and activities developed by JA and facilitated by the volunteer. The learning grows in scope every year - in middle school students are challenged to think about creating their own business, world trade and marketing. For those lucky enough to receive JA in high school, students look to volunteers as mentors and may participate in running a company through computer simulation, or develop a product and compete with other product developers through competition events led by Junior Achievement. While Junior Achievement was founded in the United States and has its largest presence here, it is a global organization that offers programs to children around the world. More information is available at www.ja.org .
My experience in teaching students about the realities of life through Junior Achievement have been fulfilling beyond whatever expectations I had when I started. I've been going back and reviewing my experiences and am in the process of determining how many JA classes I have delivered to date - it's somewhere around 75. In addition to "ordinary" school settings, it includes classes taught through IMPULSA (JA of Mexico) at the FFHM Mission in Baja, MX as well as the "Backstretch" series at Arlington Park Racetrack to children (mostly Spanish speaking) of the employees of the track. Most of my service to JA has been through Junior Achievement of Chicago, who is led by a fantastic President, Sandy Daffe, a marvelous staff and board members from dozens of Chicago's finest businesses and organizations. I currently sit on the JA Suburban Board.
This "overview" and subsequent stories on my blog will document and discuss my JA adventures and provide the readers with some insight as to the classroom capers that come up through participating with Junior Achievement. Feel free to ask any questions or leave constructive comments and observations!
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