Junior Achievement of Utah

Through adult volunteers serving as mentors, Junior Achievement introduces new possibilities and prepares young people to own their future success. Our k-12 programs foster work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy skills, and use experiential learning to inspire students to dream big and reach their full potential. Through an innovative partnership between the business community, educators, and volunteers, ja of Utah helps young people connect with relevant learning and the importance of staying in school. Ja inspires students to develop competitive skills and confidence. Their success bolsters the local workforce and contributes to economic growth. Ja's traditional in-class program delivery model is built around volunteers coming into the classroom so students can learn from the expertise of professionals as well as see strong role models that work in their communities. In a recent alumni study, 56 percent reported currently working or having worked in the same field as one of their ja volunteers, further illustrating the impact of ja's mentorship programs. Beginning in january of 2022 ja of Utah, Inc now includes the state of Idaho in our service area. For several years, ja of Utah has been operating an interactive, 10,000 square foot, hands-on experiential learning site for students. Spencer f. eccles Junior Achievement city (ja city) helps students discover life- changing concepts through a simulated economy or personal finance scenario. We are excited to announce that in april 2023 we will open an additional location in Utah county, woodbury Junior Achievement city. Both ja city locations provide hands-on learning through ja biztown for 5th graders and finance park for 8th graders. With the addition of a second city, we will be able to reach two-thirds of Utah's 5th grade students annually with these vibrant programs. As our most popular program, ja biztown creates an unmatched experience where 5th grade students interact within a simulated economy and take on the challenge of operating a business. Here, students not only discover the intricacies of being a professional and member of the community, but also discover the abundance of opportunities available within their city. At ja finance park, students have the rare opportunity to experience their personal financial futures first-hand. Here, 8th grade students participate in an immersive simulation that enables them to develop skills to successfully navigate our complex economic environment and discover how decisions made today can impact tomorrow and a lifetime.