Junior Achievement, APS offering finance curriculum, seeking volunteers

Junior Achievement (JA) of North Central Ohio has partnered with Akron Public Schools (APS) to bring the Personal Finance 2.0 program to ninth-grade students this spring.

According to JA officials, the JA Personal Finance 2.0 program will introduce students to the interrelationship between today’s financial decisions and future financial freedom. Students will be guided through courses that range from earning income, budgeting, savings, investing, credit versus debt and smart shopping. The program also will teach skills for life and offer tools that can be used as circumstances change. In total, students will participate in 11 unique courses to complete the program.

“This program will introduce them to real-life financial scenarios to prepare them for life after high school,” said Julie Jacob, career education program manager at Akron Public Schools.

For the program to be successful, JA is seeking 80 volunteers of diverse backgrounds to assist in leading program sessions. The four Akron-based nonprofit organizations assisting in recruiting the 80 volunteers include Akron Urban League, Love Akron, Bounce Innovation Hub and Leadership Akron.

Volunteers will attend a 45-minute training and teach three sessions in person unless COVID-19 safety restrictions move the experience to video sessions. Volunteers will be encouraged to share details about their professional or financial planning experiences with students during the program.

“One of the many lessons the past two years have taught us is the importance of understanding how to manage money,” said Lori McCleese, JA of North Central Ohio president. “We want to encourage dreams but, more importantly, we want to empower students with the knowledge to make smart financial decisions. We also want students to gain a larger perspective of not only their potential, but of their community and world.”

To learn more about JA, visit jaofnco.ja.org.

Source: Akron.com

Source: https://www.akron.com/articles/west-side-education-news-notes-54/

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