Victoria Business and Education Coalition along with our partner Caterpillar Inc. hosted our first Junior Achievement workshop with the youth at the Victoria Boys & Girls Club from J
uly 11-15, 2016. Students spent 5 days learning about financial concepts through fun interactive games and activities
such as taxes, budgeting, credit scores, and insurance - so they'll be ready when the time comes to manage their own money in a fun interactive games and activities.
The JA workshop mainly focused on the understanding of the financial responsibilities associated with financing options for college, paying insurance premiums and provided them with tools and ideas to help them make better-informed budgeting decisions. "JA workshops play an important part in ensuring that today's children become the well-educated and financially responsible adults of tomorrow," said Lanell Mantey, the Executive director of VBEC.
The JA Workshop learning aid resources comprised of useful information about goal settings and career options that helped teach the students about earning, spending and saving money while playing fun games during the workshop. Griselda Gasaway, a Volunteer from CAT, was very excited that the workshop had a great turnout. "We are making an effort to keep our students in school, graduate and look at different choices they have in life,"Gasaway said, "I hope the students will choose to go to college."
Graciela Gonzalez, Victoria East High School student, expressed that she had learned from the workshop how to budget her money in the future. "I have learned about loans, credit scores, and what it means to be in debt," Gonzalez said. Jordan De La Garza, Patti Welders Middle School student, stated that the JA workshop was so great to be a part of this summer. "It tells you how to control and manage your money when you get older," De La Garza emphasized.
According to Kris Heyer a volunteer from CAT , the JA Workshop was very interactive and mainly focused on the student's future success in life and how the choices they make in life will determine whether or not they achieve their goals. "We talked a lot about their interests, values, skills and how that will impact them in the future in terms of the choices they make and the goals they should be setting for themselves,"said Heyer .
JA is a program coordinated by VBEC and facilitated by volunteers from the local business community, who share their personal and professional experiences to enhance student learning.
