“We’re driven to opening kids up to their potential by disrupting any limiting thoughts they may have about who they can or can’t be. Particularly for those in lower-income populations, we work to overcome their pre-conceived notions of what they can or can’t do.”
Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain, Inc. – a grantee of the Community Foundation – prepares local youths to thrive in the modern workplace, and to contribute to the global economy.
“We work to inspire self-sufficiency and dignity of work,” says Robin Wise, President & CEO. “JA promotes a passion for free enterprise and entrepreneurship, and a solid understanding of personal financial literacy among young people, K-12 [including 6,500 students per year in Boulder County].
“We’re driven to opening kids up to their potential by disrupting any limiting thoughts they may have about who they can or can’t be. Particularly for those in lower-income populations, we work to overcome their pre-conceived notions of what they can or can’t do.”
To implement its vision, JA’s elementary school, middle school and high school programs are built on these educational pillars:
- Entrepreneurship
- Financial literacy
- Work readiness
“These are the three ways we believe impact a person’s ability to be self-sufficient,” explains Robin. “When we talk about entrepreneurship, for example, we don’t just talk about how to start a business – we talk about how you solve problems, how you live your life, and how you can take more control over your own destiny.”
When it comes to learning entrepreneurism, students further decide what kind of company they want to run, they raise the startup capital, they elect a company president, and more. “Among our suite of programs centered around entrepreneurism, we have a summer camp for high school students that emphasizes solving problems that real companies have,” Robin says. “We also talk about building products that meet a need.”
Meanwhile, JA’s Financial Literacy programming instills a greater knowledge of economic concepts and terms for local and global enterprises, and personal money management. “In first grade, kids learn about needs vs. wants,” says Robin. “They understand where choices are made, and where problems start to happen.
“In middle school, kids are randomly assigned an adult persona for a day – they might be a nonprofit executive, or a butcher or a plumber, or maybe a welder or an accountant. They get a salary that matches what it would be in real life, and they learn how to make a life for themselves on that salary by considering housing and transportation costs, cell phone expenses, clothing for the kids, and so on.
“They’re also assigned a credit score and a life situation. At the end of the day, they explore the choices they made and how they might improve their lives.”
JA’s Work Readiness takes things even further. “Students are taught how to build on their personal characteristics and goals to match the needs of the workplace,” concludes Robin. “We help young people with interviewing skills, resume writing, and personal branding.
“It all comes down to education – and not just a college education. You need both education and self-sufficiency skills to ensure more choices in life.”
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