A group of our BGSF team members went back to school this week, serving with Junior Achievement of Dallas at JA BizTown, a simulated town providing students with the opportunity to discover careers, build financial skills, collaborate with classmates, exercise civic duties, invest in the community, and more!
Junior Achievement USA is a nonprofit that inspires and prepares young people for success. We began our partnership with Junior Achievement in 2021, selecting the organization as our charity of choice, closely aligning with their purpose:
Junior Achievement’s purpose is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.
Through our partnership with Junior Achievement, our team members have the opportunity to live our vision of “connecting people to opportunities and transforming lives,” which includes empowering our youth with learning experiences they can draw upon for the rest of their lives. Beth Garvey, our Chair, President and CEO serves on the Executive Committee for Junior Achievement of Dallas, and shared,
“Programs like BizTown help connect the dots between life inside and outside the classroom, preparing students for a successful future. BGSF is proud to support Junior Achievement as our charity of choice. JA works hard every day to empower young people and strengthen their career readiness, which so closely aligns with our own mission to transform lives by connecting people to opportunities.”
Junior Achievement is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their futures, and make smart academic and economic choices. Programs are free to all participants, including JA BizTown, which launched in 2001.
Our team of volunteers collaborated with elementary school students at the JA BizTown in Dallas, located in the Gilbreath-Reed Career & Technical Center. While JA staff led the simulation, our volunteers guided students throughout the day, providing firsthand knowledge and expertise to enhance their experience. The goal of BizTown is to connect the dots between the classroom and the real world, building work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. Listed below are experiential activities the students participated in:
Managing a business
Taking out a loan
Using a debit card
Earning a paycheck
Opening a savings account
Paying taxes
Buying goods, services, and health insurance
Voting
Recycling
Philanthropy/charity support or corporate social responsibility
Utilizing STEM skills
Working as a team
Goal setting
Completing a career assessment
Problem-solving
Following visits through BizTown, students often participate in a debriefing lesson to reflect on their experience and further identify the relevance of classroom learning to their future goals.
BGSF had over ten volunteers representing each of our divisions serving within JA BizTown, mentoring, guiding, and helping to inspire and prepare these young students for success! We know they have bright futures ahead, and we are grateful to play a small role in helping them along the way.
Making a BiG difference in the communities we serve is one way we show how your future is our purpose. Thank you to Junior Achievement of Dallas for providing this opportunity for us to engage with these future leaders! Connect with us and learn more at BGSF.com. Learn more about Junior Achievement by visiting jausa.ja.org.
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