Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Spring 2017 - 36

in your community

SPOTLIGHT ON:

Junior Achievement of Southeastern Pennsylvania

he said, speaking of the 24 other students in
the program with him. "And I feel like that's
a skill that really helps you in the real world,
that's a very important skill. Because it's not
going to be you, no matter what field you go
into, whether you're in business or not. As a
doctor, you're going to have to work with other
doctors, as a business person you're going to
have to work with your employees or associates.
In any field you're going to have to work with
other people, and the skills that JA teaches you
really, really apply to real life."

hat is Junior Achievement? There
are a multitude of ways to answer
this question. Primarily, it can be
classified as an education based non-profit which
is dedicated to empowering young people to
own their success.

Beyond a dedication to empowerment, JA
provides a solution by showing students how
money, careers, and business ownership work
with the help of volunteer role models from the
community and proven programs. We believe
that no one can make their life, community
or world better without a belief in themselves
and a sense of purpose. And we know these
programs work - 77% of our alumni report
that things they learn in JA will help them get
a good job, 82% develop educational goals after
participating in a JA program, and 81% agree
that they are more confident in their ability to
successfully compete in the workplace and in life.
Why is Junior Achievement so special? You
would be surprised how frequently the question
is asked.
Junior Achievement's hands on experiential
learning process spans nearly a hundred years of
success. Started in Massachusetts in 1919, the
organization had a goal of providing entrepreneurship skills to young people. That mission
hasn't changed much in nearly a century. In
fact, it has multiplied, reaching kindergartners through 12th grade students in over 100
countries and 100 million students worldwide.
Locally, JA provides life lessons to schools
in eight Southeastern Pennsylvania counties,
teaching financial literacy, entrepreneurship
skills and career readiness. The role models who
stand before these young people are just like
you - local business and community members.
Through age appropriate lessons provided by
Junior Achievement, students learn how to start
a business by 3rd grade; however, the learning
process never ends.

As local industrial giants became involved
in the effort, the organization expanded to its
well-known JA Company Program®, which
aimed to teach teenagers everything about
operating a business, from selling stock to
manufacturing and marketing a product they
made themselves.
JA was introduced to this area in 1951.
In modern times, the increasing gap between
curriculum and the practical application of
that in business, finance and careers is being
bridged by specifically designed age appropriate
programs. Today, the non-profit organization
provides over 20 programs to each grade level.
"JA...it's honestly a great program ... I've
definitely grown a lot as a leader, because of
JA," said Justin Leggin, the Vice President of
Marketing for student run company Lava for
Life, mentored by cloud services company Evolve
IP. The Methacton High School junior has
now participated in the capstone JA Company
Program® for two years, returning because of
the impact the program made on his persona.

Technical skills, which students learn
through school, are just as important as the
soft skills like interpersonal capabilities, though
few realize it. In a recent study conducted by
Adecco USA, it was found that 92% of senior
executives say American workers are not as
skilled as they need to be. 44% say they lack
"soft skills."
Junior Achievement aims to fill in the gaps
where standard education drops off. So far, the
results are clear. Nearly 8 out of 10 teachers
report that JA better prepares students for the
world of work, and 75 percent say that JA
programs help students realize the importance
of staying in school.
"It is so rewarding to see the students learn,"
commented JA volunteer Andrea Sawchuk. "The
financial basis and fundamentals taught help to
provide the students with a framework for future
success and contributions to the community."
Sawchuk, an employee at Diamond Credit
Union, has volunteered in Pottstown Middle
School, Pottstown, PA.

"You kind of realize through JA, that when
you're in a company, it's not just you dictating," Leggin commented. "It's you and others
working hand in hand. JA really helps you as
an entrepreneur to figure out what stress do I
take on, and what stress do I let others do. And
"The idea of starting a business is scary, but that you need to trust others to do the same.
everything in life is scary; staying poor is scary," You can't do it all. And your way may not be
said Rosario O., a high school student within the right way."
the Reading area. "If I am going to be scared
Teaching students life skills such as building
anyways, might as well be scared while trying
to build something." Rosario is a part of the confidence, creating opportunities through perin-class capstone JA Company Program®, which severance and communication are cornerstones
in the programs Junior Achievement offers.
is where JA lays its roots.

Through showing first graders the difference
between wanting a new toy and needing a coat
for the winter, Junior Achievement teaches
essential skills. Through showing seventh graders
how a string factory in England, a dye factory in
India and a leather distributor in Mexico come
together in a global economy to make the sneakers they wear daily, Junior Achievement brings
the global economy to students in a message
that translates the importance. Through showing
high schoolers how they can take an idea, make
it, produce it, market and manufacture it until
their business is thriving, Junior Achievement
is changing the way students of this generation
are perceiving their future as active community
members and successful economic participants.

Justin Leggin provided a direct correlation.
The organization granted its first charter in
1939 to Pittsburgh, where students met in the "This year I am the VP of Marketing, I'm very
basement of a local hotel and were tasked with fortunate. Especially this year, it's almost as if
building cases to store and move incendiary I'm not the VP, we're all talking and taking each
other's ideas and adapting off of one another,"
bombs for the World War II effort.

To find out more about Junior Achievement
of Southeastern Pennsylvania, their programs,
and how you can get involved in empowering
the future, please visit http://japhiladelphia.org/,
or contact the local office at 610-499-1620.

36 COMMERCE QUARTERLY SPRING 2017

http://www.japhiladelphia.org/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Spring 2017