Blog « Junior Achievement

2nd Annual JA You’re Hired! Program

May 16th, 2013

JAYH2

This year on April 16th, 175 High School Students from over 10 high schools competed in various challenges in Junior Achievement’s second annual JA You’re Hired Challenge. The event this year was held at the Chicago O’Hare Marriott with the University of Phoenix serving as the presenting partner for the day.

Students selected various session topics during the day ranging from interviewing skills, business etiquette, product development, ethical decision making, budgeting, how to use social media and leadership. At the end of the day student challenge winners were awarded gift cards, sponsored by Discover Financial Services. On this day student-run JA companies competed for the title of Company of the Year as well. Eight student companies presented their business plans and results to a panel of judges. These student groups also showed off their products in our JA Company Business Expo, presented by Discover. The Company of the year for fiscal 2013 was Hometown Classics from Barrington High School sponsored by PepsiCo. This company outperformed their peers in running their nostalgic postcard company. With great leadership and support, they delivered a great product and a healthy return to their shareholders.

JA You’re Hired could not happen without the support of some great partners who not only provided volunteers for the event but sponsored many of the sessions that the students benefited from during the day. JA would like to thank the following sponsors for helping to make this year’s event such a success:

University of Phoenix
Discover
ITW
Baxter
BCU
Chicago O’Hare Marriott
Allstate
AT&T Toastmasters
Vibes Media
PepsiCo

Posted in High School

Part 2: Your First JA Class…Tips on Classroom Management

May 6th, 2013

Part 2. Let’s get started!

(Part 1, if you missed it.)

Before you begin teaching your JA program, it’s important to start the day on a positive note and help the students feel comfortable. Even if this isn’t your first JA class, here are some great tips to consider when teaching:

• Arrive early, but don’t interrupt if the class is in session.
• Wear business attire; look like an “expert.”
• Greet the students in a friendly, yet professional manner.
• Smile, shake hands (if appropriate), and maintain eye contact.
• Give your name, and ask each student for his or her name. Use the Table Tents provided to help you learn the students’ names.
• Be yourself. Talk about your early aspirations, your current job, and how you got it.
• Determine what the students already know about a concept or topic. What knowledge and experiences do they bring to the class?

How to become a good teacher?
Although the teacher is responsible for all instruction and discipline within the class, the following suggestions can help you work with the students:

• Tailor your presentation to meet the needs of the teacher and the students. Use language, examples, and analogies that the students can understand, but don’t talk down to them. Avoid any use of gender, racial, or ethnic stereotypes.
• Discuss with the teacher the best way to work with students with special needs, those who have limited English language skills, or those who have difficulty reading.
• Limit lectures to no more than 5 to 10 minutes; lecture usually is the least effective of all teaching strategies.
• Define or review the main points and/or key terms on the board, an overhead transparency, a flip chart, or other visible place; keep the Key Terms posted as reminders for students.
• Wait at least 5 seconds for an answer after calling on a student. Use as many open-ended questions as possible.
• Don’t answer your own questions, and avoid criticizing or rejecting wrong answers from the students.
• When particular skills are required, such as mathematical calculations, provide an example or demonstration of the process before asking the students to solve a problem.
• Frequently check for understanding by asking relevant questions.
• During the first session, explain to the students that they must live up to the group expectations to ensure the success of program activities. Share the following expectations, and remind the students of them when necessary:

o Students in each group must work together at all times.
o Everyone participates and shares her or his knowledge.
o Everyone listens with respect.

Refer to our volunteer training site for videos and more! These tips are part of a series of posts. Come back soon, we will post more classroom management tips in the near future.

Posted in Volunteer training

Are you as smart as this year’s Money Smart kid?

April 25th, 2013

MoneySmart2013

Last week, Dayton Melaniphy of Fry Elementary School was announced as the Money Smart Kid of 2013 at the Money Smart Week kickoff event at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. A panel of former Money Smart kid winners also spoke at the kickoff about their experiences as winners of the competition, offering advice and their perspective on being smart with their money.

For the last several years, a committee of Money Smart Week partners has sponsored the competition for students to see if they are “Money Smart.” Students in grades 5-8 compete for the opportunity to win scholarship money by answering an essay challenge question related to money management. This year, Dayton wrote the winning essay in response to the following question: What is the difference between an investment and an expense? What would be a good investment in your community and why? Please discuss who would benefit from this investment.

The Money Smart Kid contest winner announcement is a fun and exciting part of Money Smart Week, a week-long series of free classes and activities designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. MSW partners, including Junior Achievement, are hosting events from April 20 – 27th. View the online calendar to see what events are occurring near you!

Help More Kids Be Money Smart
The JA “Be Money Smart” Financial Guide in the Chicago Sun Times

The “Be Money Smart” insert is special Money Smart Week education section, designed as an interactive educational section for students/teachers/parents to use as part of a financial literacy program. This insert is available online, and ran all editions of The Chicago Sun-Times last Wednesday.

Thanks to generous funding from The Allstate Foundation, JA of Chicago and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago partnered again this year with The Chicago Sun-Times to bring this financial education guide to thousands of local students.

Learn more about Money Smart Week.

Posted in Uncategorized

Charter One celebrates Financial Literacy Month with $25,000 donation to JA

April 16th, 2013

Charter One check presentation featuring Sandy Daffé, President of Junior Achievement of Chicago and John Golden, SVP & Director of Business Banking at Charter One

Each year, the month of April is celebrated on a national and state level as a month to help our communities achieve stronger financial footing and our children learn the basics of financial education. In celebration of the nation-wide Financial Literacy Month, Charter One presented Junior Achievement of Chicago with a $25,000 grant last week.

The Charter One Foundation’s donation will support JA’s whole school program for the upcoming school year. The $25,000 grant will provide the volunteers and the funding necessary to cover the cost of the materials, training, servicing and recruitment of volunteers for over 40 classrooms.

Charter One has shown their support for JA’s economic education programs locally for years. Since 2006, Charter One employees have volunteered in more than 280 classrooms and impacted over 6,000 students.

This month, Charter One is also partnering with Junior Achievement to host a JA in a Day at Everett Elementary school in Chicago. Volunteers will be teaching JA programs to students from kindergarten through 5^th grade in eleven classrooms.

Posted in General Updates, Partners

Jones Lang LaSalle volunteer shares her story

April 8th, 2013

Tanya Gonzalez, a Property Manager at Jones Lang Lasalle and JA volunteer for the past 15 years, shares her inspirational story and why she finds her JA experience so rewarding.

Question 1: How long have you been volunteering for Junior Achievement? 15 years What year did you start volunteering? 1999

Question 2: How did you learn about Junior Achievement and what prompted you to get involved?
My previous employer, Goldman Sachs, introduced me to the opportunity to getting involved in the community.

Question 3: In what ways are you involved as a volunteer with Junior Achievement?
Initially I participated in the elementary school age career day. Now, I enjoy participating in “JA in a Day” and lunch time with the students.

Question 4: Why do you come back to volunteer?
The children and being able to at least reach one and provide positive reinforcement and encouragement.

Question 5: What do you enjoy most about your volunteer experience? The success skills lessons are transferable within the workforce, school, family etc. I like to emphasis the importance of communication and utilizing these skill assets. To be able to get junior and seniors engage is definitely rewarding and a privilege.

Question 6: What have you learned or how have you been personally affected from your experience with Junior Achievement? The hunger in these children’s eyes to want to succeed but is still so uncertain. Their drive and willingness to want better is so wonderful to see.

Question 7: Do you have an inspirational story you can briefly tell about your volunteer experience?
Although I was given the opportunity to attend great schools throughout my childhood, I was stricken with tragedy at the age of 17 years old. My father was slain execution style. I worked after school as a student janitor to pay off my high school tuition. I had the willingness to continue life and do what my father would have wanted me to do – SUCCEED! My undergrad and graduate education was non-traditionally attended. I worked full time and raised a family while attending school. I like to express my non-traditional educational background with young adults and discourage this path if possible. However, we may have personal obstacles but we must stay encouraged. We can overcome any barrier if we have the enthusiasm and dedication. My journey is not encouraged but one must always remember the walk is as challenging as one makes it to be.

Question 8: Do you have any advice for individuals considering volunteering with Junior Achievement?
The excitement and encouragement in the children’s eye is a reward in itself. It’s great to get to know the children – hear their aspiration and encourage them throughout each session/lesson with transferable success skills. It’s important to tie in their goals with each lesson plan and remember your frame of mind when you were that age. I strongly recommend volunteering – Pay it forward!

Posted in Volunteer Stories

Cheers for Achievement – 9th Annual Wine Testing

April 4th, 2013

You are invited to Junior Achievement’s 9^th Annual Wine Testing Event on May 9th at the Civic Opera House Tower Club. Join us to network, socialize, and discuss how we can and do make a real difference in the lives of youth.

Junior Achievement’s 9^th Annual Wine Testing Event was established with the support of the Central Division Board in 2005. The event raises funds to maintain the central division’s general gift campaign and the expansion of programs into more schools across the city of Chicago reaching over 200,000 inner city students this school year.

Event highlights include: plentitude of wine samplings, corporate networking, scrumptious snacks, striking views of Chicago’s architecture, mystery bottle grab, silent auction and much more

Event details: Civic Opera House Tower Club, Floor 39 • 20 N. Wacker Drive, from 5:30-8:30 pm. Tickets are $60 in Advance, $65 at the Door.

Questions? Contact Tiffany Mays at tmays@jachicago.org or 312-715-1300 X 238 for more information.

Cheers for Achievement.

Register today!

Posted in Chicago, Suburban Cook

Are Today’s Teens at Risk of Becoming Tomorrow’s “Basement Generation?”

March 27th, 2013

In the next couple of months, millions of American teens will be graduating from high school. There was a time when this meant many kids would go off to college, get a degree and start a career. But in recent years, for a variety of reasons, including a sluggish economy and the growing skills gap in the American workforce, many kids are heading back home to live in mom and dad’s basement after receiving that college degree. A reality reinforced by recent assessments of Census data by Pew Research showing that more than one-in-four adults between the ages of 25 and 34 had moved back with their parents at one time or another during the “Great Recession.”

JA_Teens_and_Personal_Finance_Survey_2013

A new survey from Junior Achievement USA® (JA) and The Allstate Foundation shows that 25 percent of teens believe they will be age 25-27 before becoming financially independent from parents/guardians, up from 12 percent in 2011.

Generally speaking, teens are more optimistic about their futures with a 20 percent increase in those saying they expect to be financially better off than their parents. But part of their financial security now comes from depending on parents longer. Jobs are still hard to find, especially for new graduates, and societal norms are more accepting of the formerly dreaded “living with your parents.” It is interesting to see this shift in teens thinking they will remain financially dependent on parents, while building a better future for themselves.

Other key findings from the survey include:

Nationally, of the 33 percent of teens who say they do not use a budget, 42 percent are “not interested” and more than a quarter (26 percent) think “budgets are for adults.”
More than half of U.S. teens (52 percent) think students are borrowing too much to pay for college, yet only nine percent report they are currently saving money for college. Nearly 30 percent have not talked with their parents about paying for higher education.
The majority of U.S. teens (76 percent) still report the best time to learn about money management is in kindergarten through high school, but only 29 percent reported programs currently in place.

At Junior Achievement, we understand that preparing our youth to be financially literate is more complex than teaching them to put their pennies in a piggy bank, which is why JA has developed relevant programs crafted to meet the needs of an ever-changing environment.

We know times have been tough, but now is the time to secure independent financial futures for yourselves and your children. Empower your children today.

JA and The Allstate Foundation Partnership For decades, JA and The Allstate Foundation have partnered to help students understand how personal finance lessons relate to their future. The JA Economics for Success®program, created in partnership with The Allstate Foundation, has helped more than 1.2 million students across the country set personal goals about money and make wise financial choices.

Methodology and Executive Summary The national study was conducted Feb. 5-15, 2013, using the KnowledgePanel to interview 1,025 teens ages 14-18 years old. The survey’s margin of error is +/- 3 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. An executive summary of the Junior Achievement Teens and Personal Finance Survey 2013 is available.

Tags: Allstate
Posted in JA USA News

Times of Northwest Indiana employees teach 3rd graders the role of careers and business in a city

March 20th, 2013

Third grade students participating in the JA Our City program at their desks

Times of Northwest Indiana employee volunteers provided 3rd graders lessons on the role of businesses in a city while teaching the JA Our City program in classrooms in Crown Point, Hammond, and Valparaiso last month. Using the JA Our City elementary school program, volunteers introduced students to economic development, local businesses, and career opportunities with key lessons on city zoning and building, opening a restaurant and banking, and newspaper production.

Barb Mason, regional human resources director, said The Times’ jumped at the opportunity to allow employees to volunteer with JA. “What a great all-around win — time in the community schools with kids, talking about our business, with our own employees who are there because they want to make a difference,” Mason said. “That’s just what we are all about and why we matter in the communities where we do business.”

WHAT OUR VOLUNTEERS SAID ABOUT THEIR JA EXPERIENCE

Bob Cacovski, media consultant for The Times, said he enjoyed his volunteer experience at Central Elementary in Valparaiso. “All of the students were very polite, waited to be called on and said a hearty ‘thank you’ at the end,” Cacovski said. “I see so much potential in all of them, and I think that JA is a super way to introduce them to real-life situations.”

Maggie Sanchez, customer care representative for the call center, said the students taught her while she was teaching them. She volunteered with third-graders at Thomas Jefferson Elementary in Hammond. “They taught me how smart kids of their age are and how much knowledge they soak up,” Sanchez said. “It was an experience I would do again if I ever had the lucky chance.”

Many thanks to all our fantastic volunteers that made a difference in these young students’ lives. Junior Achievement is actively making a difference in the Northwest Indiana community, get involved today.

Posted in Eastern, Elementary School

Your First JA Class…Tips on Classroom Management!

March 13th, 2013

Part 1: General Tips (via JA USA)

Most of us are a little nervous before teaching our first class. To prepare, it is important to schedule a meeting with the teacher to review each session’s overview and objectives, and inquire about the students’ general abilities. If possible, meet a few minutes before students arrive to avoid interrupting the class. Once class begins, schedule sufficient time to observe the interaction between the students and teacher. Here are some general tips for you:

Know the school’s policies regarding visitors; most require checking in at the office.
Seek the teacher’s advice; respect his or her authority and expertise in the classroom.
Leave student discipline to the teacher.
In any contact with a student, the teacher, another school-sanctioned adult, or the student’s parent or guardian must be present.

Knowing that you can count on the teacher for help will make your classroom experience much less intimidating and ultimately more rewarding for everyone. If you have already taught a JA class in the past, what advice would you give to a new volunteer?

Refer to our volunteer training site for videos and more! These tips will be broken up into a series of posts. Come back soon, we will post more classroom management tips in the near future.

Posted in Volunteer training

JA and AT&T Job Shadow Program Inspires Chicago High School Students about their Future

March 7th, 2013

Students are shown here enjoying listening to keynote speaker, Ernesto Mejia of CoolSpeak. Ernesto shared his personal story of success as a Mexican immigrant coming from a single family home. He also discussed the importance of staying in school.

Local High School students visited AT&T to participate in a unique JA Job Shadow experience

Over 70 Chicago high school students visited AT&T offices to shadow employees and participate in a hands on job mentoring program through Junior Achievement on February 28^th at AT&T at 225 W Randolph Chicago IL.

AT&T employees shared life experiences and career advice to high school students attending Benito Juarez Community Academy High School, Lake View High School, North-Grand High School, and Theodore Roosevelt High School. Prepared to discuss their own resumes and their future goals, students spent the day with AT&T employees to see firsthand the educational attainment and skills they will need to succeed in the workforce.

Throughout the nation, AT&T employees are providing hours of mentoring to at-risk students by partnering with Junior Achievement’s Job Shadow Program. “AT&T’s partnership with Junior Achievement shows their dedication to education and helping young people in Chicago prepare for their future,” said Valerie Garcia, Director of City North/Latino Outreach at Junior Achievement of Chicago. “By bringing students directly into the workplace, The JA Job Shadow experience shows them how education and training translate to success on the job.”

Thanks to AT&T for your support and partnership! We are proud to bring this important job shadow program to students in the Chicago area.

Tags: AT&T
Posted in High School, Partners

Cheers for Achievement.

WHAT OUR VOLUNTEERS SAID ABOUT THEIR JA EXPERIENCE

Many thanks to all our fantastic volunteers that made a difference in these young students’ lives. Junior Achievement is actively making a difference in the Northwest Indiana community, get involved today.

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