Through “Needs, Jobs & Tools”, students explore how their needs and wants are met through various jobs in the community, as well as learning about important tools used in various occupations. A hands-on exploration of the money circle links how jobs and tools meet our needs.
Level:
Grade 3
Commitment: Half Day
Program Code: Teacher-led
Explains the impact technology and Canadian inventors have on business and societies around the world. Explores industrial changes due to technology and what might be in store for the future. Technology and Innovation engages elementary students in activities to define new ideas for business and society by learning about our technological past and present.
Level:
Grade 4
Commitment: Half Day
Program Code: Teacher-led
The earlier students learn how to manage money, the greater their chances of lifelong financial success.
According to a study by the JumpStart Coalition for Financial Literacy, only 26% of 13-21-year-olds said their parents taught them how to manage money. This gap is not being addressed by schools, as many don’t have the resources to offer classes in financial literacy. JA has designed the More than Money program to address this challenge. With the assistance of volunteers from the local business community, the program teaches elementary students about earning, spending, sharing and saving money.
Students are often taught that success means “getting a good job” after graduation. Many are not aware that launching a business is a viable career option that can bring them amazing opportunities.
However, starting a business is not a career option that most children are encouraged to consider. In JA’s Our Business World program, elementary students explore how businesses are created and what makes them thrive. Using games and multimedia, students learn about innovation, start-ups and self-employment.
Entrepreneurs drive the Canadian economy, strengthen communities and create jobs. However, children are often not encouraged to become entrepreneurs.
In JA’s newly updated A Business of Our Own program, students put on entrepreneurial hats and run their own retail business. Students learn how to start a business, produce and promote their products, track their finances and manage a team. Volunteers from the local business community use experiential blended learning and game-based technology to engage students and ignite their passion for business. In addition to in-class lessons, budding entrepreneurs are now able to continue learning at home through JA’s online business simulation.
Level:
Grade 6
Commitment: 5 hours
Program Code: Teacher-led, Project Based
In today’s global economy, individuals from many different backgrounds work together to achieve common goals. Stronger Together: Diversity in Action is an exciting program from JA that teaches students the value of diversity and how it contributes to improving morale, creativity, teamwork and productivity.
Volunteers from the local business community help students understand how inclusivity can solve real-world challenges. They also encourage students to welcome perspectives that are different from their own.
Canadian personal debt is at a record high. Canadian youth are growing up in a time in which spending is easier than ever and debt is a way of life. This problem is exacerbated by hectic family schedules, which leave parents with little time to teach their children about money management.
How can we prepare today’s youth to avoid personal debt?
Through the newly updated Dollars With Sense program, students get the vital tools they need to make smart financial decisions, live debt-free and become savvy investors. Students learn personal money management skills that they can apply to their lives … beginning now.
The earlier youth learn financial literacy, the more likely they are to invest and save later in life. Recent U.S. research has found that “people who have had financial education participate more often in retirement programs, make larger contributions and have a much higher savings rate than others”.
JA’s Investment Strategies program (ISP) teaches students how to save and invest for the future. The program includes both interactive classroom lessons and an online stock market simulation, Invest JA, where students manage their own simulated stock portfolio. The simulation is linked to live data from North American stock markets and is an exciting, risk-free way for students to apply the investing principles they learn in the program.
Level:
Grades 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Commitment: 4 one hour lessons, 6 week simulation
Program Code: Teacher-led, Project-based
For many students, the transition from high school to post-secondary education or employment can be overwhelming. Students often feel that their high-school experiences haven’t adequately prepared them to meet the demands of university, a career, or living on their own.
In Economics for Success, students take a closer look at the advantages of staying in school, as well as learn what’s needed to succeed in today’s workforce. Volunteers from the local business community partner with classroom teachers to help students see the link between education and achieving their goals. A third-party study found that over 65% of past Achievers credit JA with their decision to stay in school and enrol in post-secondary education, 75% believe JA had a significant impact on their financial-literacy, decision-making skills, and business sense.
World of Choices brings students together with career mentors working in desired fields, industries, and professions. In small sessions, students learn first-hand what it takes to be successful. Each student can participate in interactive sessions that will open up a world of choices for Canadian youth. Read more
Level:
Grades 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Commitment: Half-day
Program Code: Event-style
The earlier youth learn financial literacy, the more likely they are to invest and save later in life. Recent U.S. research has found that “people who have had financial education participate more often in retirement programs, make larger contributions and have a much higher savings rate than others”.
JA’s Investment Strategies program (ISP) teaches students how to save and invest for the future. The program includes both interactive classroom lessons and an online stock market simulation, Invest JA, where students manage their own simulated stock portfolio. The simulation is linked to live data from North American stock markets and is an exciting, risk-free way for students to apply the investing principles they learn in the program.
Level:
Grades 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Commitment: 4 one hour lessons, 6 week simulation
Program Code: Teacher-led, Project-based
What are the success skills it take to be prosperous in today’s rapidly changing work environment? Posed to high school students, this question is answered through peer learning and examines what different skill sets are required to be successful in the workforce.
The “Be Entrepreneurial” program teaches that owning an entrepreneurial venture can start in high school. All it takes is recognizing the talent and practices used by successful entrepreneurs and role models. Encouraging the next generation to think about being their own boss and running a venture is easy when all the tools and information are being taught by industry leaders.
The cornerstone of Junior Achievement, the JA Company Program sees groups of students work together to operate their own business venture. Company Program may run in-school or as an after-school activity.
Level:
Grades 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Commitment: 18 weeks
Program Code: Project-based
Personal Finance is a financial literacy subject for high-schoolers. Students will learn important money management skills, including key elements of personal finance such as: spending wisely, budgeting, saving, investing, and using credit.
Level:
Grades 10, 11, 12
Commitment: Half-day
Program Code: Volunteer-led
World of Choices brings students together with career mentors working in desired fields, industries, and professions. In small sessions, students learn first-hand what it takes to be successful. Each student can participate in interactive sessions that will open up a world of choices for Canadian youth. Read more
Level:
Grades 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Commitment: Half-day
Program Code: Event-style