I am pleased to have an opportunity to work with
Junior Achievement in San Diego and their new Mission Fed Financial Park.
Boy Scouts in San Diego working towards their Eagle-required Personal Management merit badge are in luck when it comes to the relationship Merit Badge Counselor Bruce Doole and Junior Achievement in San Diego. With the opening of the Mission Fed Finance Park in October 2015, scouts have the opportunity to learn about financial terms and create their own “adult” budget through simulated learning tools I could only dream of when I was their age. Continue reading about why The Finance Park was developed. Check it out yourself at the March 19, 2016 Family Day!
California gets an “F” in teaching Students about Financial Literacy
Find out how you can help Junior Achievement change this shocking statistic
By: Junior Achievement of San Diego County
Did you know California received an “F” grade in teaching students about financial literacy in 2014? According to Center for Financial Literacy, a Vermont-based nonprofit, California is one of eleven states that have few requirements, or none at all, for personal finance education in high school. In order to receive an “A”, states must require either a standalone personal finance course or require personal finance topics be taught as part of another mandatory course.
The study, says in part:
We would not allow a young person to get in the driver’s seat of a car without requiring drivers education, and yet we allow our youth to enter the complex financial world often without any related education. An uneducated individual armed with a credit card, a student loan and access to a mortgage can be nearly as dangerous to themselves and their community as a person with no training behind the wheel of a car.
The failing grade is completely unacceptable, especially given the recent lessons of the 2006 recession, credit card debt hitting a record high and the average student loan approaching $30,000.
Junior Achievement of San Diego Country serves over 55,000 students each year by teaching students how to get a job, how to start a business and how to manage money. San Diego’s success lies in the cultivation of our young people. To ensure our continued growth and competitiveness, we need to cultivate the next generation of professionals right here on our home turf.
That’s why in the fall of 2015, we opened our newest experience learning center and the only program of its kind in San Diego….
Introducing Mission Fed JA Finance Park
Mission Fed JA Finance Park begins with four weeks of curriculum in the classroom, during which they will choose a real San Diego job. The students will then come to the Mission Fed JA Finance Park facility, where they receive a life situation and income based upon the job they chose in the classroom and create a family budget based on their hypothetical life situation. Students will practice saving and spending money, making important budgeting decisions and applying classroom learning. They will also have the opportunity to visit our on-site Career Center to explore various career and employment opportunities in San Diego!
Mission Fed JA Finance Park
The state-of-the-art Mission Fed JA Finance Park brings together teachers, students, families and businesses to serve as the missing link between the classroom and the real word of adult responsibilities. The Park helps students imagine who they want to be, while providing hands-on tools to plan for their future and reach their full career potential. When students come to the Park, they receive a “life situation” and income based upon a real San Diego job they choose in the classroom. Students then have to buy a home, purchase a car, shop for groceries, make investments and save for the future. At the end of the day, students have to meet a monthly budget. They will also have the opportunity to visit our on-site career center to explore real-life job opportunities in San Diego.
JA Finance Park is not only for high school students, we welcome adults and families who want to learn from the mistakes they’ve made or avoid them all together.
“This Junior Achievement capstone program provides an unparalleled hands-on experience for students in a high-tech environment,” said President and CEO of JA San Diego County Marla Black. “More than one million students have gone through the JA Finance Park program nationally. JA Finance Park promises to be an exceptional asset to the San Diego community, providing the missing link between schools and the real world of adult responsibilities.”
For more information about how companies can help students and participate in the JA Finance Park when it opens in the fall, visit jasandiego.org. Follow along with the program on social media using #ImagineSD.
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Is your teen wise with money? Take part in the Family Day at Junior Achievement Finance Park hosted by Thrivent Financial event. Bring your teens to Junior Achievement of San Diego County’s state-of-the-art Finance Park to develop your financial management skills as a family. During the hands-on simulation, you will select a job, be provided a “situation” (married, single, salary, FICO score, etc.), and then, as a family, use technology to create a budget for your “avatar” by visiting the Circle of Life shops and kiosks. Don’t miss this one of a kind experience to kindle some good family conversations and start your teen down the path to a strong financial future! Sign up today for the March 19, 2016 Family Day.
