Why do I love Junior Achievement so much and why am I such an advocate? I love Junior Achievement because it works. Junior Achievement USA released their “Free Enterprise National Survey: Viewpoints from U.S. High School Juniors” this week.
While reading the statistics and viewpoints in this survey, I realized our high school students live in a completely different world than I did when I graduated nearly 15 years ago. The economy has been in a poor state for the majority of their adolescent lives. They have witnessed extreme layoffs, high unemployment rates and college graduates not finding work, forcing them to examine other alternatives regarding their future. This survey states, “Juniors are concerned about the economic outlook. Almost all juniors are worried about being able to get a good job when they finish school and many believe that the job market will be somewhat or very bad.”
This is where Junior Achievement comes in to play. We teach and excite students with JA’s award winning programs about higher education, free-enterprise and entrepreneurship. Jack Kosakowski, JA’s President stated, “Knowledge of the free enterprise system, its benefits to citizens and its relationship to job creation is important for young people across the nation, to the vitality of our communities and to the availability of a well-educated workforce. We must continue to expand these programs in an effort to educate our future leaders. “
When I was a Junior in high school, I was barely beginning to think about my future. I took school seriously but wanted to focus on my friends and the life of a teenager. Career choices popped in and out of my head every now and then. College choices could be determined in a year; why should I be bothered at only age 16? As far as free-enterprise and entrepreneurship were concerned, I was completely oblivious. I think it is safe to say that most adults today wish they would have been better educated with more options regarding their future before they arrived at one of those imperative choice making crossroads. This is why I love Junior Achievement. It gives children the opportunity to have ideas, thoughts and even in some cases, decisions, before they reach those ever-looming crossroads.
This survey shows that 16 year-olds across our nation are being taught and prepared. The more educated people are about Junior Achievement, the more they understand its vitality in the classroom. Please take a moment and review our national survey by clicking here.
