Junior Achievement Of The Desert Southwest

Programs: Junior achievement prepares youth to be work-ready and provides them with a valuable means to explore career opportunities, entrepreneurship, and become financially literate through experiential, hands-on programs. Junior achievement programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers and provide relevant, interactive experiences that give students knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Through a portfolio of age-appropriate curriculum from kindergarten-12th grade, junior achievement programs equip youth with the financial knowledge and skills necessary to make informed financial choices in an ever complex and changing economy. Elementary school programs: junior achievement's elementary school programs are the foundation of its kindergarten-12 curricula. Six sequential program themes, each with five hands-on activities, work to change students' lives by helping them understand business and economics. Elementary school programs focus on the role of students within their world. The program begins with ourselves and continues through our nation with steps in between to identify the role they play in each level of their surroundings. Through these programs, students are taught to identify money, teamwork, savings, giving and how to utilize it to benefit themselves, their families and their community. Students are also taught the fundamentals as how to exchange money for goods, balance a checkbook, understand a bank's purpose and how to make decisions necessary to start a business. Middle school programs: in junior achievement's middle school programs, students play the role of business owners and managers in order to move on to learning about the roles of producers, consumers and the global workforce. Students are also taught about world trade and how it affects their daily lives. Through this application, students understand entrepreneurship and different careers. It is also at this time that students are encouraged to focus on higher education and direction for their future. Junior achievement's middle school programs enable students to excel further in school by illuminating the link between academic success of the present and professional success of the future. High school programs: junior achievement's high school curriculum bolsters the ability of students to succeed in the globalized marketplace of the 21st century by emphasizing the importance of skills, such as managing their own finances and developing entrepreneurial aspirations. Junior achievement programs offer students the opportunities to learn about business, the global economy, saving and investing, careers and interpersonal skills. Students have the opportunity to run their own company, work with various online computer simulations, and hear about the world from positive adult role models. Junior achievement high school programs bring together instruction with real life situations to prepare the youth to move into the world. The objective is to prepare students to begin careers and the tools necessary to do so. Students are coached on personal branding including resume preparation and interviews as well as utilization of job hunting tools. Students are provided the opportunity to shadow in a professional environment to learn what it takes to get and keep a job. While working in these areas, students are also encouraged to have a strong entrepreneurial spirit and use that spirit to fill community needs. Students learn the elements of a business plan and are supported to start a business venture while still in the program. Part of the program involves a business simulation where they will practice elements of running a company. These elements include pricing, production, marketing and budgeting. This coincides with the teaching about the u. S. Economic system and how it affects business decisions. Along with running a company, students will be advised on how to have a strong personal financial life and how decisions now can assist in creating financial freedom and a great quality of life. Students also leave with a better sense of how to make intelligent financial decisions relating to savings, credit and income. Throughout junior achievement's programs, students use information, apply basic skills, think critically and solve problems. In all programs, there is a special emphasis placed on staying in school and the relationship between learning and earning. The total number of students served was 6,251 in 2017, consisting of elementary (4,455), middle (85) and high school (1,711).