Today’s youth need inspiration, hope and the opportunity to learn life skills that will engage them in their education and better prepare them for life after graduation.
Junior Achievement programs teach young people the three pillars of success: financial literacy, entrepreneurship and workplace readiness.
One group, which is making that happen in locally, is Junior Achievement (JA). With the participation from local JA business executives and volunteers, JA has an ongoing presence in the area.
“At Junior Achievement, we give young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future and make smart academic and economic choices,” said Greg Sands, JA of Western Pennsylvania district operations manager.
“Our corporate and community volunteers deliver relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship.
“JA programs empower students to make a connection between what they learn in school and how it can be applied in the real world, enhancing the relevance of their classroom learning and increasing their understanding of the value of staying in school.”
Locally, JA is providing relevant, age-appropriate, experiential programs to classrooms in the area during the 2019-20 school year. The first half of JA classes were completed at Juniata Elementary on Thursday, Oct. 24.
A hallmark of JA is its unique use of local business and community volunteers who come into the classroom to deliver JA programs.
Community volunteers taught the classes, including: Jessica McCorkle, Jodi Burkett and Jen Witherow in kindergarten; Hope Moose, Becky Bashline and Shannon Cooper in first grade; Ellie Statler, Aimee Lindmar and Greg Governor in second grade; Meri Collins, Tara Tyger, and Brandi Levenduski in third grade; and Amy LaBrasca, Hayes Weber, Melanie Kozak, and Lindsey Wolfgang in fourth grade.
The fourth-grade classes also had Kristine Gasbarre visit, who talked about her grandfather starting Gasbarre Products and her own marketing and publishing business. She is an author of four books and the kids enjoyed hearing from her.
As school budgets get tighter, funding for JA programs isn’t always possible for local school districts, noted Sands who thanked Miller Welding and S&T Bank for their contributions, which helped make these classes possible.
For more information on Junior Achievement, or to get involved, please contact Greg Sands at 814-590-3480 or e-mail GSands@jawesternpa.org.