Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes, Inc.

By focusing on the roles people play in their local economy, students learn the importance of work and entrepreneurship. They become aware of how families earn money to pay for their needs and wants.

Through hands-on activities, students see how citizens benefit from and contribute to a community's success. Various jobs and their required skills are identified to demonstrate how the work people do positively affects a community's economy.

City life comes into sharp context as students explore the importance of money and the different ways people pay for goods and services. Students consider the contributions that financial institutions make to a city and how they help businesses and people achieve their economic goals.

Am I an entrepreneur? Students explore entrepreneurship and how entrepreneurs use natural, capital, and human resources to produce goods and services. They examine traits of successful entrepreneurs and apply them to their own skills and abilities.

Students gain practical information about the U.S. free market system and how it serves as an economic engine for businesses and careers. They learn that entrepreneurial and innovative thinking are required for high-growth, high-demand careers in a global economy.

What good is saving money of young people aren't taught how to save, spend, and share it? Students learn these essential financial skills and how entrepreneurial thinking and being money savvy can turn an idea into a successful business in their community.

At JA BizTown, students operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks, use debit cards, and vote for a mayor. They connect the dots between what they learn in school and the real world.

Building a life is a complex project, particularly for young people entering the world of work. This program shows students how to earn money, spend wisely within a budget, save and invest, use credit cautiously, and protect their personal finances.

Students experience the worldwide interdependence of producers, consumers, and the global workforce as they take on the roles of business owners and managers. They analyze international business ethics and the culture, currency, and trade barriers of other countries.

What does it take to be successful in today's working world? While still in middle school, students explore potential careers, discover ways to plan for and keep a job, and prepare their personal-brand maps to the future.

Can anyone learn to be an entrepreneur? Yes. During this program, students discover the key characteristics of successful entrepreneurs: belief in yourself, fill a need, know your customer and product, and be creative and innovative.

At JA Finance Park, students act as adults and make personal finance decisions in a realistic facility, mobile unit, or virtual community. they develop lifelong financial skills through in-class and simulated experiences.

Why not start an entrepreneurial venture while in high school? This program dispels entrepreneurship myths, provides tools to develop a business plan, and inspires students to take innovative action to successfully compete in the marketplace.

This program equips today's students with the skills needed to compete for high-demand, high-growth careers in the world marketplace. Students focus on developing the 4Cs - critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.

Entrepreneurship comes to life as students launch an actual business venture with the help of educators and community volunteers. The multi-dimensional experience infuses online learning, digital tools, contemporary teaching methodology, and trends in business startups.

Students explore basic characteristics of the U.S. economic system and how economic principles influence business decisions. They examine careers, consumer issues, and leadership skills and put into practice data analysis, problem solving, and critical thinking.

Hands-on classroom activities foster lifelong skills and knowledge about how an economy works, including micro-, macro-, personal, and international economics. Students examine the importance of international trade and the effects of inflation.

What does it take to get and keep a job in a competitive job market? This classroom and site-based program prepares students to be entrepreneurial thinkers and encourages them to develop personal strategies to pursue lifelong learning and career opportunities.

This individualized program helps students plan for their financial future. They learn how budgeting, saving and investing money, using credit cautiously, and protecting personal finances can secure financial stability.

This Web-based simulation allows students to operate a virtual company in which success depends on decisions about their product's price, marketing, R&D, and business practices. Win or lose, students realize how management decisions affect a company's bottom line.