EverBank partners with Junior Achievement to teach financial litearcy

Thanks to partners like EverBank, we’re able to bring financial literacy lessons to thousands of students in Duval County Public Schools each year! EverBank created this great video showing our partnership.

The following originally appeared on EverBank’s website:

“For reasons that should be pretty clear to all, we place great importance on the value of sound money management skills and training as well as financial discipline. To help support a stronger financial future for individuals throughout our communities, we proudly assume responsibility for sharing our financial expertise and knowledge in a variety of unique and exciting ways. Junior Achievement shares in our passion for financial literacy. And together, we’re helping to make a difference one person at a time.” -EverBank

5th graders think about future career paths with JA Our Nation®

Junior Achievement programs teach work readiness and behavioral skills such as what is required to land a job.

One of those programs, JA Our Nation, is redeveloped for the new school year.

Through hands-on classroom activities, the program provides upper-elementary students with practical information about the nation’s free market system and how it serves as an economic engine for businesses and careers.

The curriculum also introduces the need for entrepreneurial and innovative thinking to meet the requirements of high-growth, high-demand careers and the concept of globalization in business.

For example, in Session Three: Career Clusters, students examine career groups and the skills needed for a variety of careers when they participate in a Career Hunt. By answering questions on Career Cluster Trading Cards they discover which jobs require special degrees or training and the average salaries of certain careers.

Students also review a sample resume and identify important work-readiness soft skills necessary for career success.

In the Get and Keep the Job! Board game, they collect the soft skills employers are looking for.

JA Our Nation is a series of five required sessions and one optional supplemental session recommended for students in fifth grade. Each session is 45 minutes in length. Like all JA programs, JA Our Nation is correlated to State and Common Core Standards.

To request this program for your class, click here.

To learn more about Junior Achievement programs in Jacksonville, click here.

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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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2014-15 school year results are in: JA of North Florida’s best year yet!

We reached 52,881 students during the 2014-15 school year with our financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship programs.

In other words, 42% of students in Duval County Public Schools participated in a Junior Achievement program last school year.

We are excited to share some highlights from JA USA’s end-of-year results. These results demonstrate the impact our organization, volunteers and donors are making on the lives of young people in North Florida.

For the first time in its 52-year history, JA of North Florida is in the top 25 of the 115 JA Areas in the United States, and is now the second largest JA Area in the state of Florida, second only to JA of Tampa Bay!

Last school year, the amount of time volunteers spent with students teaching JA increased.

JA of North Florida volunteers spent more hours per student than the national average.

We are proud to announce JA of North Florida is 23rd out of 115 JA Areas in the nation in market share, and #1 of the nine JA Areas in Florida!

These numbers reflect the strength of this community of JA supporters. Give yourself a hand!

Thank you for giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their futures, and make smart academic and economic choices.

We look forward to continue sharing the impact and successes of the program and students involved during the 2015-16 school year.

To volunteer with us or to learn more, visit JAjax.com.

For students looking to change their future, Junior Achievement provides an answer

Fresh Path participants at JA Reverse Job Shadow on June 17.

We teamed up with FreshMinistries back in April for JA Reverse Job Shadow, but June 17 let us become involved for the first time with their newest program, Fresh Path.

Fresh Path is an opportunity for core-city youth to change their future by providing them with life-skills, job training and health, wellness and nutrition education.

Some people might look at these young people and see a challenging road ahead; FreshMinistries decided to do something about it and Fresh Path was born.

On this balmy summer evening, eight JA volunteers gathered at FreshMinistries’ Weaver Center for Community Outreach to bring JA Reverse Job Shadow to the Fresh Path participants.

Each volunteer took a table and set out materials related to their job. The students gathered towards the back of the room, waiting for a couple more to arrive before starting. Many looked down at their phones with headphones on that drowned out the rest of the room.

At 6:15 p.m. the event began. The students would spend eight minutes at each station then rotate to the next. The volunteer-to-student ratio worked out so the students could talk one-on-one with each professional, with one table having two students.

Just a few minutes in, the room had an elevated energy about it. Students were making eye contact, asking questions, smiling and looking like they were enjoying themselves. When “time” was called, no student was quick to get up and move because they were so engaged in conversation.

“A little light bulb seemed to go off in each of them,” said Don Covey, retired financial professional. “I think the most rewarding part of the evening was that each person I listened to seemed to understand that hard work and education will be the key to their success.”

“Ryan and I were impressed with the way they handled themselves and showed interest in what we had to say,” said Kaytee Esser, Gilbane Building Company. “I hope that they all aim high and trust that they can reach their dreams and beyond. They have a lot to offer the world. I am looking forward to what they bring to the future.”

Sonya Snyder, Jacksonville Business Journal

Don Covey, retired financial professional

Ryan Sitnik and Kaytee Esser, Gilbane Southeast

We would like to thank the following volunteers for participating in this event:

Don Covey – Retired, Finance
Michael Dwyer – Primerica Financial
Kaytee Esser, Ryan Sitnik – Gilbane Southeast
Mark Ross – U.S. Navy
Rachael Sellers – PWC
Sonya Snyder – Jacksonville Business Journal
Howard Taylor – Retired, Insurance
Daniel Young – PA Worldwide Inc.

You can view all the photos from this event in our Facebook photo album.

Click here to learn more about FreshMinistries’ Fresh Path program.

JA Reverse Job Shadow introduces students to careers by bringing the real world to their schools or community sites. To learn more about this unique program and how you can get involved, please click here.

Gearing up for summer camp

Today is the Jacksonville Children’s Commission Summer Camp Vendor Fair, where our program staff are busy recruiting. If you are a summer camp provider and would like to host Junior Achievement programs, please contact us at 904-398-9944 and we would love to discuss partnering with you!

Teresa Smith, Director of Special Initiatives, and Tiffany Mackey, VP of Programs, are having fun at the JCC Summer Camp Vendor Fair.

VP of Programs Tiffany Mackey discussing Junior Achievement’s K-12 programs for summer camp.

Introducing… JA Boy$

Male volunteers from community agencies and companies teach boys lessons in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship as part of the JA Boy$ program.

“Empowering males to means” is the goal of JA Boy$, says Program Manager Jonathan Bishop. JA Boy$ is a mirror-program to JA Girl$ and will provide gender-specific programs in financial literacy, workforce preparation and entrepreneurship.

Seven years ago, JA Girl$ was created as Junior Achievement’s reaction to the growing number of single-mother households in North Florida and the needs single mothers have for financial education. That program is now being replicated in over 20 cities in the U.S. and five foreign countries.

“The other side of the coin is fathers not remaining in the 30% of households in Jacksonville that have only one parent present,” said Steve St. Amand, president. “While we do not have all the answers, JA believes that career exploration, workforce preparation and financial literacy are three areas that can help address this issue.”

JA Boy$ will serve boys and young men in grade levels from elementary to high school. Before heading to the classroom, male volunteers undergo training that includes strategies for working with boys.

“We currently have several groups receiving JA programming, including the Edward Waters College Black Male Achievers,” says Jonathan. “Additional partnerships are being developed with various agencies. We are also working with volunteers from the community and corporations.”

“We want to inspire and encourage boys and young men to develop knowledge of finance, understand the power of their choices, and achieve their full economic potential.”

If you are interested in volunteering for JA Boy$ or would like more information, contact Jonathan Bishop, JA Boy$ program manager at 904-398-9944 ext.232 or jonathan@jajax.com.

JA Boy$ Website