Last Friday, the Campaign Creators team visited the McGrath Family’s Junior Achievement BizTown of San Diego, an organization designed to help grade school students gain insight into how the “real world” works.
A 10,000 square foot mini-city complete with 21 of the same businesses and organizations that can be seen around San Diego (including SeaWorld, Mission Federal Credit Union, the Humane Society, and more), BizTown assigns students to specific positions for an immersive, 4.5-hour simulated workday experience.
During this time, they can learn about running a successful business, managing finances, and the basics of economic infrastructure. The program not only familiarizes students with various career possibilities, but also encourages them to invest in their educational and professional futures.
Campaign Creators’ involvement with JA Biztown began this year as part of our new initiatives for community service and outreach. Nisha Wendelken, our operations specialist, has been involved with the nonprofit for several years and initially introduced the company to it.
They’re really focused on real-life education and empowering students of all ages with the knowledge they’ll need to make meaningful decisions in the workplace and financially,” Nisha explains.
As volunteers at the “businesses” in BizTown’s simulation, we had a great time assisting the participating classes and watching the kids become engaged in their roles for the day, be it bankers, physicians, engineers, reporters, or CEOs. Their curiosity and enthusiasm at the opportunity to explore their future professional potential were inspirational for our own team.
Things unsurprisingly got a little hectic throughout our “workday”-- not unlike the real world-- but the students’ attitude toward their assignments made the experience both productive and fun for all of us!
Besides its 5th grade BizTown Program, Junior Achievement has also been offering a variety of programs and materials for elementary, middle, and high school students, covering topics ranging from personal finance to the global marketplace, for 10 years running.
To find out more about this great nonprofit organization, visit their website.
How has your organization been giving back? Let us know by commenting below.