Junior Achievement partnered with local community and business leaders to present “JA in a Day” at Southeast Elementary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Youngstown, Ohio, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) January 31, 2012 -- SALEM, Ohio – These volunteers had the opportunity to be role models and to teach some important business ideas that will help the children progress as future members of the workforce. The JA program teaches students through both role playing and games.

The 5th grade program, “Our Nation”, introduces the students to the concepts of entrepreneurship, natural, human and capital resources, job skills and STEM, job clusters and industries, and global needs. It provides practical information about businesses’ need for individuals who can meet the demands of the job market, including high-growth, high-demand jobs. Further, it introduces the concept of globalization of business as it relates to production materials and the need for students to be entrepreneurial in their thinking to meet the requirements of many careers worldwide.

In the first lesson, “What’s Your Big Idea?”, students work in groups and act as entrepreneurs by turning ideas into businesses. They identify factors needed to create a variety of entrepreneurial ventures and design an advertisement for their product. In one of the classes, a group came up with a product called “water ball”. Their advertising pitch was “when going to a sports practice, no need to worry about forgetting your water bottle because the water bottle fits right into your ball.” All of the JA lessons build on each other to give the students that real life connection. In the last lesson, “Worldwide Connections”, students are introduced to specialization and competition. They explore how their nation is connected to the global economy. They see how specialization and technology have contributed to free enterprise and their effect on the global business world.

Mrs. Ewing, 5th grade teacher, loved having the program. “Hearing from community members helped my students understand the importance of what they were learning.”

The sixth grade program, “JA Global Marketplace”, provides practical information about the global economy and its effect on students’ lives. In activity 1, for example, “X” Marks the Spot, students work in groups to identify items throughout the classroom that have been imported. Once they identify the country, they then need to find that country on the world map and mark it with an X. They begin to recognize that trade with other countries affects their daily lives. Students understand that international trade occurs when nations want or need resources or services from other countries because they themselves cannot satisfy those needs and wants at reasonable costs. In the last activity, “World of Money”, students learn that to participate in international trade, businesses and individuals must be able to purchase goods and services from each other. They learn that countries have different currencies with different values. To purchase goods from another country, it usually is necessary to use that country’s currency. Some European countries have facilitated the exchange process by adopting the euro as a common currency. This curriculum introduced the students to the concepts of domestic and international trade, business practices, culture, as well as currency and exchange rates.

Wendy Higgins, 6th grade teacher, loved that there were a variety of engaging and hands-on activities. The information presented, although challenging, was clearly explained and made relevant to the lives of the students. “The students had fun and enjoyed the day!”

Local Community and Business leaders for the day included: Sara Baer, community volunteer; Steve Bailey, Bailey Financial Planning; Matt Butts, Kent State Salem; Gina Dermotta, Salem Radiologists, Inc.; Cristina Esparra, Home savings & Loan; Mark Flake, Retired; Jim Foster, Global-PAK; Ginger Grilli, Della Walker House; Ruth McCullagh, Kent State Salem; George Morris, Morris Financial Group; Elaine Roussea, community volunteer; Jim Solmen, Retired; and Gregg Warner, Business Management Advisory Group, LLC.


About Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley, Inc. (JAMV)
Junior Achievement empowers young people to own their future economic success and has a goal of presenting its financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness programs to more than 8,500 students in Mahoning, Trumbull, Ashtabula and Columbiana Counties during the 2011-2012 school year. For more information about Junior Achievement, visit http://warren-youngstown.ja.org.

About Junior Achievement USA® (JA)

Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, to provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches four million students per year in more than 120 markets across the United States, with an additional 6.5 million students served by operations in 117 other countries worldwide. Visit www.ja.org
for more information.

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