Girls learn tools for success at Junior Achievement’s Day of The Girl

The inaugural Day of The Girl event hosted by Junior Achievement of North Florida’s JA Girl$ program and Police Athletic League of Jacksonville, Inc. was held July 21 at JaxPAL’s location on Monument Road in Jacksonville.

A day ALL about girls, Day of The Girl aimed to provide a holistic, girl-centered approach to the Junior Achievement concepts of financial literacy, entrepreneurship and career readiness.

The day was emceed by Angela Spears, Angela Spears Communication, and six workshops led by local business women and leaders covered everything from saving money to leadership to social media savviness.

“I learned why it’s important to save money now,” said one 8^th grader from The Bridge of Northeast Florida TEAM-Up. “I want to be able to live a good life and I can’t if I waste all my money.”

A seventeen-year old girl from Daniel Memorial Independent Living Program said the program has made a positive impact on her life. “I needed this,” she said. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes already; I’m trying to do better. This was fun…I learned a lot that can help me now and later.”

Junior Achievement’s ‘Reverse Job Shadow’ was incorporated into the day. Presenters spoke to rotating groups of girls about educational requirements, salary range and skills needed to work in their career field.

“You saw the light bulbs go off,” said one volunteer from Voya Financial. “The girls were so excited to know they have a choice in how their life will turn out.”

The ‘Economics of Healthy Eating,’ sponsored by The Jim Moran Foundation, taught girls how to save money on food but eat healthy at the same time.

In total, 220 girls from the following groups participated in Day of The Girl:

• JaxPAL
• Girl Scouts of the Gateway Council
• Girls on the Run – Northeast Florida
• Daniel Memorial – Independent Living Program
• Daniel Memorial – Residential Program
• Daniel Memorial – Journey To Success Program
• Virtue Art & Science Academy
• The Bridge of Northeast Florida – Team-Up
• Individual registrants

“I can’t wait for next year,” said one parent. “The girls were so excited to have a day just for them; all about girls.”

The inaugural Day of The Girl’s success is due in part to incredible women who volunteered from the following companies:

• Bank of America
• Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
• Macquarie Group
• Primerica
• Voya Financial
• Women Entrepreneurs

Special thanks to Chase Bank, Natural Life, and Panera Bread for providing in-kind donations to Day of The Girl, and to Celebration Church for stuffing the Day of The Girl goodie bags.

“There’s something magical that happens when you provide girls with a space to just be themselves,” said Sabrina Kinslow, JA Girl$ Program Manager. “To ask questions. To be confident in their answers. To be inspired to dream big. ‘Day of The Girl’ was created to provide that space.”

She continues, “Day of The girl provided the tools and role models to encourage the continuation of developing healthy, successful girls. JA Girl$ and JaxPAL know healthy, successful girls become healthy, successful women.”

View more photos on Junior Achievement’s Facebook page.

JA Girl$ is a Junior Achievement of North Florida initiative to educate girls and young women in financial literacy, career readiness and entrepreneurship. Learn more about JA Girl$ and how you can become involved.

$mart Women Make Change!, the signature luncheon event to benefit JA Girl$, will take place October 20 at the Florida Blue Conference Center. The event will feature keynote speaker Sonia Manzano, “Maria” on Sesame Street and Author. All proceeds from this event fund the JA Girl$ program and make Day of The Girl possible. Click here to learn more about $mart Women Make Change!.

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Kind and selfless act by high school students in JA Company Program

Teens in the JA Company Program® at Sandalwood High School donated their total profit of $250 to Clara White Mission.

Sandalwood High School JA Company, “The Plug,” with a check made out to Clara White Mission in the amount of $250.

Above photo shows the check in the hands of JA Company, “The Plug,” and below is Tiffany Mackey of Junior Achievement and Sandalwood’s Mrs. Jones presenting the check to Clara White Mission CEO/President, Ju’Coby Pittman.

Clara White Mission CEO/President, Ju’Coby Pittman (center) receives a $250 check for the organization from Sandalwood High School JA Company.

JA Company Program® is a blended learning approach that offers groups of students the opportunity to understand the steps involved in launching their own businesses while learning the basics of entrepreneurship, financial litearacy and business success. Learn more about JA Company Program in Jacksonville.

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Introducing the Junior Achievement Financial Literacy Center

The JA Financial Literacy Center sponsored by Bank of America and the Economics of Healthy Eating program sponsored by the Jim Moran Foundation was officially launched on Friday, April 8. The JA Financial Literacy Center will provide day-long programs to third grade students. Housed in the Mitchell Community Center, the JA Financial Literacy Center was introduced by Martha Barrett of Bank of America, Councilman Garrett Dennis, and Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.

Superintendent Vitti has placed the JA Financial Literacy Center into the rotation of enrichment programs for students attending Title I schools. ALL third grade students in Title I schools in Duval County will visit The JA Financial Literacy Center. Approximately 10,000 students annually will spend the day at the JA Financial Literacy Center and receive the JA Our City program, The Economics of Healthy Eating program and a shopping visit to the Jacksonville Farmers Market.

The JA Financial Literacy Center is the first of its type in the country. The Economics of Healthy Eating was developed by the Brooks College of Health at UNF and is also the first healthy eating program with an economic basis being offered in the country.

JA received Bank of America’s 2014 Neighborhood Builders Award in the amount of $200,000 to fund the New Town initiative and also received $146,000 from The Jim Moran Foundation to create and implement the new Economics of Healthy Eating initiative as well as support the Center’s programming.

View more photos from the JA Financial Literacy program launch by clicking here.

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JA Boy$ group visits Baptist Medical Center for JA Job Shadow

Twenty-one boys from the Young Men’s Leadership Academy at Eugene J. Butler Middle School participated in JA Job Shadow at Baptist Medical Center South on October 28.

The group of young men got a behind-the-scenes look at the medical center through a guided tour that took them inside a patient room, through emergency and patient registration areas, guest resource area and HR department.“The trip to Baptist was super rewarding for our boys; the opportunity to interact with a variety of professions is always beneficial,” said James Smith, Leadership & Transitions, Young Men’s Leadership Academy.

JA Boy$ is a Junior Achievement of North Florida initiative that provides the means for boys and young men to gain the necessary skills and confidence to succeed in the workplace and in life.

JA Job Shadow™ offers students a unique opportunity. In-class sessions prepare students for a visit to a professional work environment during which they learn how to research career opportunities and the skills needed to land and keep their dream job. Click here for more information on JA Job Shadow™.

7th grade student discovers career interests with JA It’s My Future®

It’s never too early to start thinking about potential careers!

Meet Andrea, an incoming seventh grader. She discovered new career interests during Session Two of JA It’s My Future® held at YMCA’s summer camp.

She and her classmates took a “career cluster inventory.” Different career fields and their subcategories were displayed on posters throughout the room. For this activity, the students went poster to poster writing down which jobs appealed to them in the different categories.

On the “Health Science” poster, the “Therapeutic Services” career cluster caught Andrea’s attention. She never considered that career field before and helping people in that capacity sounded exciting to her.

Andrea is now looking into becoming either a physical therapist or registered nurse. With her sense of determination, we’re confident Andrea will be successful no matter her career choice!

In JA It’s My Future, students explore career clusters and determine which professions suit their interests.

See more of our summer camp program impact: View photos on our Facebook page.

To learn more about programs offered by Junior Achievement of North Florida, please click here.

JA Our City® “Piggy Bank Savings Game” teaches valuable money lessons

Students playing the JA Our City “Piggy Bank Savings Game” during Police Athletic League’s summer camp.

Junior Achievement’s programs incorporate experiential learning to help students understand how what they are learning applies to the real world.

The “Piggy Bank Savings Game” in JA Our City® is one example of such learning.

There are three spaces to land on in the game: deposit, withdraw and That’s Life!, for which students make the corresponding transaction on their personal bank account sheets.

“Buy a hamster, tank, and wheel. Withdraw $45.”

“Wash and vacuum the family car. Deposit $10.”

After landing on a That’s Life! space, a card is drawn card containing a scenario – positive or negative – that can unexpectedly happen in real life: “It’s your birthday. You receive a check in the mail. Deposit $30” and “Oops! You go over your text message limit. Withdraw $20″ are two potential scenarios.

During JA Our City Session 3: A Place Where People Bank, students play the “Piggy Bank Savings Game” by making deposits and withdrawals on their personal bank account sheets.

“I learned that saving money is important…I don’t always need to spend it on a new video game,” said Elijah, who participated in JA Our City® during summer camp at Police Athletic League.

The game reinforces the value of spending wisely and saving for a short-term or long-term goal. Students learn that unexpected events make a having savings account all the more important.

Each player starts with a balance of $250 and sees that amount go up and down throughout the game, depending on the spaces they land. The winner is the player who has the most money to buy something special at the end of play.

Elijah’s classmates helping him make a $20 deposit for his That’s Life! card: “Your old toys sell well at a garage sale.”

Having fun navigating the game board and, at the same time, learning to keep track of deposits and withdrawals.

Learn more about Junior Achievement’s hands-on programs for young people in kindergarten through 12th grade: click here to visit our website.

Junior Achievement summer participants design businesses to “fill a need”

Wayman’s summer camp used JA It’s My Business! as enrichment to their program.

What were you doing when you were thirteen years old? For students at Wayman Community Development Corporation’s summer camp, they were designing their own business and stepping into the mindset of entrepreneurs.

The summer camp participated in JA It’s My Business! During one lesson students identified the first entrepreneurial characteristic: Fill a need.

Each group designed their business blueprint according to their target market’s need, then presented their plans to classmates and answered questions relating to their businesses.

Step one: Fill a need.

JA It’s My Business! teaches the four traits of a successful entrepreneur.

This group of young ladies designed the “Dazzling Diva’s Dance Studio.”

Students answered questions from their peers relating to their blueprints.

To learn more about Junior Achievement of North Florida’s summer programs, please click here.

UNF Women In Business Society teach Junior Achievement lessons to Pre-K Students

Members of University of North Florida’s Women In Business Society volunteered and taught Junior Achievement curriculum to kids at the UNF Child Development Research Center on April 17.

Six WBS members taught JA Ourselves to Pre-K students for a mini “JA in a Day,” teaching two out of the five lessons from the program.

The WBS volunteers taught Session One, “Robbie’s Trip to the Farm” and Session Three, “Charlie Plants a Garden.”  Students were introduced to a storybook character and his visit to a family farm, and through a group discussion and by drawing pictures of their favorite animals, discovered that individuals make choices. In “Charlie Plants a Garden” the students learned how the storybook characters work together to plant a community garden, then followed up the activity with a visit to a real garden on-site at UNF.

WBS volunteers reading “Robbie’s Trip to the Farm” during Session One of JA Ourselves, which teaches concepts of work, earning, reward, voluntary exchange and choices.

Students drew their favorite animals after reading about the farm animals in “Robbie’s Trip to the Farm.”

Junior Achievement’s hands-on activities encourage discussion between the students and volunteers while reinforcing lesson concepts.

The Women In Business Society is a student organization based in the UNF Coggin College of Business that is dedicated to supporting women in their efforts to pursue higher levels of educational and professional achievement.

In addition to lending their time teaching Junior Achievement in the classroom, WBS members help out every year with set-up and running the check-in table at our annual Smart Women Make Change event. We value their partnership and from everyone at JA, “Thank you, Women in Business Society!”

To learn more about volunteer opportunities with Junior Achievement, please visit jajax.com.

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