After eight years on the School Board, I finally have an opportunity to participate in Junior Achievement's "JA Biztown." This is an area of curriculum provided to schools that culminates in a field trip "simulation" at the Junior Achievement facility.- Key Bank
- Trans Canada
- Allstate
- HSBC
- Quest
- CB Richard Ellis
- PGE
- Best Buy
- Weyerhaeuser
- IBM
- Portland Business Journal
- Fred Meyer
- UPS
- Northwest Natural
- Intel
- Northwest Sign Council
- Kodiak Pacific-Hamilton
- Associated General Contractors (Oregon Columbia Chapter)
- Northwest Sports
JA BizTown is a dynamic, hands-on learning simulation that engages students in the American free enterprise system, and exposes them to business, entrepreneurship, and financial planning. Serving schools and students throughout the region the center and its program will be models for workforce development, economic education and state-of-the-art experiential learning.
The students' experience varies from working in a bank, a real estate business, or a retail store, to managing personal finance such as writing checks and bookkeeping. Prior to the day-long visit to JA BizTown, students complete an in-class curriculum on economic concepts. Then it's off to JA BizTown, where everyone participates in a hands-on simulation.
Today was simply my two hour orientation and I'm already jazzed over the idea. Look for a comprehensive recap after the event in a few weeks. Check it out for yourself at Portland's chapter of Junior Achievement.
Dave
2 comments:
Junior Achievement seems to have changed substantially since I was involved back in the early 1960's.
As high school students from around the Portland area, we formed companies, sold stock, produced and sold a product. At the end of the school year the company that made the highest profit won an award.
Our company (called UniSales) won the best company award two years in a row. We were supposed to disband at the end of one year, but we pressured JA to let us stay together for a second year. Union Oil Company was our sponsor.
I was actually in JA for three years. The first company made key chains with an Oregon symbol on it. UniSales made serving trays the first year, but it was the second year that we made the best product. They were candles in glass holders with plastic netting around them. We made a killing selling them to restaurants.
John,
It's great that you got to keep going. Unfortunately for me, I didn't get the "business gene" until college and completely missed the boat in high school for both JA and DECCA.
With your background, you'd be a great volunteer for JA! They're not far away, just down on 78th and SE Foster. And I know you'd be thrilled with the Biztown room - just amazing.
Dave
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