Junior Achievement Biztown

Junior Achievement Biztown "map"
 

Wow it has been a crazy week!

We had a lot to fit in this week for homeschool.  C.J. has been preparing for his JA Biztown trip for the past month and it has kept us busy.  Our co-op has had a class of 45 5th-7th graders preparing for the big day.  JA Biztown is a wonderful program.  The program has been around since 1919 and it's core purpose is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

If you haven't been a part of the program before, it is a mini business commerce district placed inside a building.  JA Biztown is a working mini community.  It has a Mayor and other elected officials as well as numerous businesses.  Here is a "map" of a JA Biztown in another area.  How cool is that?  The JA Biztown in Tampa has sponsors like:  Outback Steakhouse, MetLife, Bank of America, Busch Gardens, Citi Financial, USAA, McDonalds, Tampa Bay Lightning and many more.  The career opportunities are abundant!

"Prior to visiting JA BizTown, students engage in a comprehensive 16-hour classroom curriculum that leads students through the study of business principles, career exploration, banking procedures, business decisions and economic terms.The curriculum immerses students into the exciting and challenging free enterprise system. The goal is to enable students to relate economic terms through the hands-on experience of running an interactive town. Students must demonstrate the skills involved in maintaining a checking account and will begin to identify the various banking services.

The curriculum emphasizes the importance of ethical business practices, teamwork and making sound business decisions. Throughout the program students also begin to recognize that career and job choices are related to personal interest, skills, knowledge and education."

 

I can't begin to explain the wealth of information and the excitement of each class when the students are able to relate their real life experiences.  My son was so disgusted the day he found out that when you buy a car for $25,000 and finance it with an auto loan you can end up paying over $30,000 for that car.  It was such a priceless moment :)



Interview Day!

This week was interview week.  There were so many fascinating positions you had the chance to interview for.  It was very impressive!  C.J. interviewed for the position of head security advisor and was excited that he was selected for the position.  Next week they attend the JA Biztown Tampa location and actually work a full day in their positions (minus their lunch break at McDonald's which is also worked by other students).  I will fill you in on the final process and outcome.  I can't wait!!