Junior Achievement (JA) of Southwest Virginia has announced that it will be inspiring high school students with the JA Launch Lesson throughout November.
The initiative, designed to coincide with National Entrepreneurship Month, will put entrepreneurs into high school classrooms across America during the month to share what inspired them to start their own business and to open students’ eyes to the opportunities provided by entrepreneurship. JA of Southwest Virginia will be working with local entrepreneurs to impact students in the Roanoke and New River Valleys.
“JA is known for bringing entrepreneurship education into the classroom,” said JA of Southwest Virginia President Katherin Anderson Elam. “What makes this initiative different is that it is an intensive experience designed specifically for today’s up-and-coming business owner who might not otherwise have time in his or her busy day to engage as a mentor to young people.”
Research conducted by JA shows that while young people look up to entrepreneurs such as Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Honest Beauty’s Jessica Alba, and music impresario Taylor Swift, today’s teens may be more risk averse than previous generations and are seeking out mentors and role models to help them gain a better understanding of how to plan for the future. JA believes it is important to provide young people with an opportunity to engage with entrepreneurs to help them better understand the benefits and challenges of starting a business.
The JA Launch Lesson highlights current JA programs by bringing an inspiring entrepreneur into the classroom for one hour during the week to share his or her experience with students. The program is designed to be simple for the entrepreneurs to implement, but impactful for the teens participating. For example, during a JA experience, students can learn how to create a business plan or successfully interview for a job.
To help engage entrepreneurs, JA will be working with organizations including the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Roanoke and New River Valley entrepreneurs interested in participating can contact JA at [email protected] or to find out how to become involved with this initiative, visit ja.org/entrepreneurs.
