All posts tagged: Junior Achievement USA

JA’s Summer Youth Employment Program

JA’s Summer Youth Employment Program
Inspire Tomorrow’s Leaders by Hiring JA Interns Today

South Florida employers, are you ready to bring enthusiasm, energy, and creativity to your workplace? Looking for new insights, fresh ideas, innovative solutions, and a perspective of today’s consumers? Junior Achievement of South Florida (JA) has a solution – hire talented, professional JA-trained interns who have the skills to become tomorrow’s leaders. The best part, there is no cost to your organization. Thanks to a grant from The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, JA has the funds to pay interns to work for you.

Junior Achievement is training the next generation of business leaders, employees and consumers by educating students about #financialliteracy, #entrepreneurship and #workreadiness. In the JA Career Bound program, high school students take part in a cutting-edge, skills-building leadership program where they learn about the skills needed to success in today’s workforce.

Upon completion, students are offered an internship through the JA Summer Youth Employment program. This program works with local businesses to offer students a summer internship to practice and further develop the skills learned in Career Bound.

With this program, our goal is to match students with an internship that will allow them to take part in meaningful projects and/or assignments that add value to the student as well as the company. Student interns are ready to work 20-30 hours per week, for up to 4 weeks, and are paid at least minimum wage. Some of the current companies we have partnered with include #Latin2LatinMarketing, #Mad4Marketing, #SOSChildren’sVillages, #BrowardHealth, #ICauseGlobalFoundation, #LiveOakCamp and many others.

These student internships are an importance culmination of the Career Bound journey. It is important for students to receive hands-on, real work experience, to further expand their skill set and prepare them to enter the workforce. It also reinforces the soft skills students learn during the program which includes public speaking, communications, conflict resolution, creativity, and ethical standards. In addition, hiring a talented intern creates a recruiting channel and better develops your industries talent pipeline.

As an employer, you will be working with the student intern and include the student in relevant meetings, events, projects and tasks that will provide them with a one of a kind learning opportunity. We highly encourage a mentor/supervisor that will work as a guide for the student, and will provide meaningful feedback, evaluation and a letter of recommendation upon program completion.

To find out more on how you can host a JA funded intern contact Patricia Josue at (954) 979-7106 or email [email protected]. You can also visit us online at www.jasouthflorida.org/summer-employment/
JA’s Summer Youth Employment Program
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Teams to Compete at National Student Leadership Summit

Teams to Compete at National Student Leadership Summit

For Immediate Release       

For More Information Contact:

Christopher Miller, Marketing Manager
Junior Achievement of South Florida
(954) 979-7110
[email protected]

Social Media: @JASouthFLorida

JA FELLOWS TEAMS PARTICIPATING AT
NATIONAL COMPETITION FOR 5TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Two Junior Achievement of South Florida teams invited to compete against 13 other student-run companies at the 2020 National Student Leadership Summit

City of Coconut Creek, Florida – Junior Achievement of South Florida (JA) is proud to announce that two of its JA Fellows Company Program teams have been selected as part of 15 finalist teams (out of more than 500 nationwide) to complete at the Junior Achievement USA 2020 National Student Leadership Summit (NSLS).

The teen entrepreneurs from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s “Good Scents” and NSU University School’s “Germ Genie” will be competing for the coveted National JA Company of the Year and other awards.

“We are thrilled to have two highly innovative teams represent Junior Achievement of South Florida at this prestigious competition for the 5th consecutive year,” said Laurie Sallarulo, President & CEO. “We applaud the students for their outstanding efforts, their teachers, mentors and our community partners who continue to support our entrepreneurship program.”

The annual JA Company of the Year Competition is a contest of business skills, ingenuity and innovation that focuses on the accomplishments of U.S. JA Company Program ® students, ages 15-18. Reaching more than 10,000 U.S. students during the 2019-2020 school year that created nearly 500 start-up companies, JA Company Program gives teens the skills to start and run their own businesses under the mentorship of local business volunteers. The teens develop a product/service designed to fill an unmet consumer or community need/service, they secure investments, produce, source, market and sell their product or service.

This year’s summit will run from June 15th-18th and will be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. JA Fellow company teams from throughout the nation will be competing for JA Company of the Year by showcasing their innovative product or service idea to a panel of judges consisting of top business leaders. Students will also have the chance to attend virtual webinars led by national experts in innovation, entrepreneurship and business.

Good Scents started off with a citrus scented oil to help combat decreased energy and poor moods and to help improve daily functions. Their product line now includes an air freshener and they have expanded their scents to include lemongrass, peppermint, grapefruit, cinnamon and much more. These students were not only tasked with creating their product, but they also had to budget, plan, market and sell their finished product.

“JA has taught me numerous skills, including marketing a business, project management, and presenting myself professionally. It has allowed me to further enhance and develop my skills in hospitality, finance and marketing,” said Hunter Dorman, President of Good Scents.

Germ Genie came up with an airplane tray table cover to help limit the spread of tray table bacteria and viruses. Their product line has diversified as well, and now includes a travel pack with face masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, disinfectant wipes and a head rest cover. This student company has been successful in bringing in revenue and partnering with other businesses to bring awareness to their product.

“After doing much research, we discovered that tray tables are eight times dirtier than a toilet flush-button. There is nothing like our tray table cover on the market. In just four months, we have over $45,000 in revenue. In addition to individual sales, Germ Genie sold in bulk to AutoNation, BBX Capital and PTM Travel. We are currently in discussions with Delta Air Lines, Hudson News, Royal Caribbean and other large companies,” said Henry Hurowitz, President of Germ Genie.

The student companies competing at the JA NSLS were assessed on their financial performance, individual team members’ personal and professional development, on a self-produced commercial about their product or service, on their team’s live presentation to a panel of business leaders and on their company’s performance.

The students from NSU University School also won the local JA Company of the Year Award during the May 9th Spark Tank Finale. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School came in second place.

About Junior Achievement of South Florida

Junior Achievement of South Florida (JA) inspires and prepares youth to succeed in a global economy. JA provides real-world training in financial literacy including budgeting, spending, investing and the use of credit; offers cutting-edge skill-building opportunities that enable young people to explore meaningful, productive careers; teaches students how to start businesses; and introduces entrepreneurial values that strengthen workplaces. Last year, with the help of over 7,100 trained corporate and community volunteers, JA delivered over 20 various programs to almost 50,000 students in classrooms throughout Broward and south Palm Beach counties and at JA World Huizenga Center at the Lillian S. Wells Pavilion, a first-class facility housing JA BizTown and JA Finance Park. For more information about Junior Achievement of South Florida, visit www.JASouthFlorida.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, and 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 more than 4.7 million students per year in 106 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.2 million students served by operations in 100 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide. Visit www.ja.org more information.

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Teams to Compete at National Student Leadership Summit
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Elementary Milestones for Future Success

Elementary Milestones for Future Success

By Hannah Henry, Manager of Marketing & Public Relations, Brand
Junior Achievement USA

From Kindergarten to fifth-grade, most children do not have a clear understanding of finances or money in general. What they learn at this stage in life are concepts that will continue to build as they grow older. While at this stage in their lives, they don’t have bills or loans to worry about, it puts their financial future on the horizon and gives them something to think about as they get older.

To put your child ahead of the curve, there are countless ways to introduce every-day transactions and learning-moments! Here are the primary milestones that elementary students are struggling with and ways that you can get your child more confident with outside of the classroom:

Grocery Store

While at the grocery store or any place of business, there are tons of opportunities to show your child the thought process and money concepts you use to make your decisions. Be sure to take a few seconds when you’re deciding between two items to discuss what you are using to determine which product or service is better than the other and why you are choosing a particular one. As you go down an aisle that contains products that are not a necessity but are something you want, discuss the difference between needs and wants. Include how by picking a want you may be sacrificing another product that was also want (or even a need) on your list, explain that this concept is called opportunity cost.

Once your shopping trip has been brought to the register, note that while you know everything has a cost, your child might not. Explain to him or her that all of the products you picked up at the store have a cost as well as taxes that are added to them. The taxes that are included are called sales tax, which states and local governments impose that help pay for schools, roads, police and fire departments. While the concept of taxes goes far deeper than this, it will begin to create the foundation for further growth and understanding in the future. This is also a perfect time to explain to your child what method of payment you are choosing and why. This will get him or her more familiar with money options available in the economy.

Banking

Before exposing your child to the concepts or mortgage companies, credit unions, and investment banks, start with the primary institution where money is held, your local bank or even internet banking app. This is the heart of financial literacy as children learn how savings, currency, deposits, and types of money typically start their journey here.

Tell your child what you want to accomplish while you are at the bank and what you will have to do in order to accomplish this goal. When depositing a check, tell your child about the deposit form you fill out and what it will do when it is processed through the system.This is also a great time to set your child up with a savings account; this will teach him or her that it is never too early to start and that by beginning early, they are preparing for their future.

Home

Finally, after the trip to the bank and the grocery store, you’re home. The place where families come together to discuss their day, what they did, learned, and what they are excited for in the future. This is the perfect place for conversations of budgeting/money management and charitable giving goals!

A survey conducted by the American Psychology Association found that 95% of those surveyed believe parents should talk to their children about money, yet only 64% said they were taught to manage money correctly, and 37% responded that they speak with their family members on the subject of money. There lies an area of opportunity for you and your family to come together.

Budgeting is one of the most important pieces when it comes to financial success. Creating a budget, managing the budget, and sticking with the budget. Bring your children into the conversation when you are creating the family budget. If you don’t create one, now would be a great time to start! Include all of the living expenses like home/mortgage, utilities, car costs, insurance, etc. From there examine what is being spent on the non-urgent resources included in your family’s every-day living. By doing this, you’re not only enlightening your child to the real world of the expense of life, but you are also enabling them to start a habit of their budgeting and saving for the future.

If your child receives an allowance, be sure to convey that while their money circulates throughout the world, it is in their hands to determine what to do with it. Are they wanting to spend it, save it, or perhaps give it to a charity? These money decisions should be your child’s as they worked for it. Be sure to provide them with some advice as to what it could go towards long-term versus short-term, or what it could accomplish by assisting an organization that seeks to make changes locally or globally.

With all of these opportunities to share your knowledge of money with your elementary school child, you are not only arming him or her with the knowledge to make better decisions for the future, but you are assisting them to develop on concepts that are crucial to future development.

For a list of resources for your elementary school student, check out Junior Achievement of South Florida’s programs here!

Elementary Milestones for Future Success
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