Salem High School

Salem, Missouri

Teacher: John Hendricks

 

 

 

Junior Achievement Company

By Jerad Howard 

 

The mission of the Junior Achievement Company is to ensure that every child in America has a fundamental understanding of the free enterprise system. The Junior Achievement Company are people behind a movement that seeks to educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, business, and economics, to improve the quality of their lives.  The Junior Achievement’s National Headquarters and Service Center are located in Colorado Springs, CO.  This provides support for 158 local offices that carry out the mission.  Altogether Junior Achievement reaches about 5.2 million students worldwide.

             

Junior Achievement programs begin at the elementary school level, teaching children how they impact the world around them as individuals, workers, and consumers. Junior Achievement programs continue through the middle and high school grades, preparing students for future economic and workforce issues they will face. Volunteers are a very important part of the Junior Achievement program, volunteers who take time out of their day to make a difference.

           

Throughout the year the Junior Achievement Company hold special events to showcase their mission. Their local offices hold events unique to their communities. Like many not-for-profits, the culture of Junior Achievement is a decidedly mission-driven one. From the board of directors to senior management to staff members, the Junior Achievement community has many people who are dedicated professionals committed to delivering its programs of hope and opportunity to every student in America. The students may end up working for the accounting office or the education department, but the National Headquarters and the Service Center will encourage them to give back to their community by volunteering. 

           

Throughout Junior Achievement’s kindergarten through 12th grade programs, students use information, apply basic skills, think critically, and solve complex problems. As high school students begin to position themselves for their future, there are many unanswered questions about what lies ahead. Junior Achievement’s High School Programs help students make informed, intelligent decisions about their usefulness in the business world.

           

There are so many different programs under the Junior Achievement umbrella, such as JA BASE, JA Company Program, JA Economics, GLOBE, JA Go Figure! Exploring Math in Business, JA Job Shadow, JA Leadership, JA Personal Finance, JA TITAN, and JA success skills.

           

JA BASE is Building Achievement Through Sports and Entertainment. This is where JA classroom volunteers introduce students to a wide variety of careers in the fields of sports, arts, and entertainment. Students also have the opportunity to assume some of these careers by organizing and hosting a special event. 

           

The JA Company Program helps young people appreciate and better understand the role of business in your society. With the support and guidance of volunteer consultants from the local business community, the JA Company Program provides basic economic education for high school students. The students organize and operate an actual business enterprise, so students not only learn how businesses function, they also learn about the structure of the U.S. free enterprise system and the benefits it provides. 

           

JA Economic is a one-semester course that examines the fundamental concepts of microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international economics. Students receive standard textbooks and study guides. JA uses computer-based business simulations and a student-run company. 

           

GLOBE is a cross-culture experience that features the fundamentals of international trade.  GLOBE, meaning Global Learning of Business Enterprise, is a program offered exclusively by JA International Inc. The students get a text that emphasizes global economics and business, and the students also compete in an online business simulation, or they can operate a joint-venture company with JA students in another country. 

           

JA Job Shadow takes students into the workplace to learn about careers.  This lets the student go through one-day, on-site orientations or through more extensive internships. 

           

JA Leadership challenges students to become a community leader. JA shows the traits of good leadership. Students study various models of leadership as well as leadership in the local government. These are just some of the important programs that the Junior Achievement Company has.

           

The Junior Achievement Company would be a major asset to Salem High School as well as in Dent County. The Junior Achievement Company includes some programs that are already used at Salem High School, such as Job Shadowing and Company Programs.  I especially think that JA BASE would be very successful in Dent County. Salem is a town full of many athletes as well as people who are excellent in the arts and entertainment areas. This program could help many students on a personal basis as well as their careers. Salem High School has many school-to-work programs, but I think if we were to get the Junior Achievement Program, students would be much more ready for the tough life ahead of them.               [Back]