More than 100 local teens receive career mentoring with Junior Achievement of Georgia and AT&T

Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia is bringing important financial literacy lessons to students in metro Atlanta as part of a contribution from AT&T, through its signature education initiative AT&T Aspire. Students from Cross Keys High School and Meadowcreek High School were assigned an AT&T mentor through the JA Job Shadow™ program, which gives students a firsthand glimpse into a professional career.

JA Job Shadow™ begins in the classroom with three sessions to help students learn more about careers, including how to identify a career based on interests, steps in researching potential jobs and developing job-hunting skills like networking and interviewing. The students then will visit an AT&T corporate office to shadow an employee for half a day to see first-hand how education translates to a satisfying and successful career.  

“Many students may not have exposure to all of the career options that exist today,” said Jack Harris, President and CEO of JA of Georgia. “Through the AT&T Aspire program, we are giving students the opportunity to be exposed to different paths and to help them realize the endless careers available in their own community.”

During the 2015-2016 school year Junior Achievement and AT&T seek to impact more than 7,000 students nationwide. This could not be achieved without the support of AT&T mentors that are a part of the company’s Aspire Mentoring Academy program. Through Aspire Mentoring Academy, AT&T employees connect with students to help them discover their passions and potential. Aspire Mentoring Academy is part of AT&T Aspire, our signature initiative to promote student success in school and beyond.

“Mentoring is a two-way street and our volunteers also learn so much from the students,” Diane Watson, AT&T Services. “The students and mentors both walk away feel inspired. They’ve talked about passions, values, encourage, education – you name it. These students are ultimately the future of our company, and other companies worldwide, and it’s important to invest in them now.”

The collaboration between JA of Georgia and AT&T is a continuation of their joint commitment to providing authentic and relevant experiences that help young people in the community be in control of their future success.

See what students and AT&T mentors who have completed JA Job Shadow™ have to say about the program: http://youtu.be/L3NWazI2_UM.   

About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T

AT&T Inc. is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its community initiatives, AT&T has a long history of investing in projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; or address community needs. In 2014, nearly $127 million was contributed or directed through corporate-, employee-, social investment- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs. AT&T Aspire is AT&T’s signature education initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding, technology, employee volunteerism, and mentoring.

Partner Spotlight: Primerica

Our partners are integral to our success at JA of Georgia and they support our organization in every sense of the word. They're support goes much further than just a financial donation. Their employees give their time to volunteer with our students, their leaders help guide our organization in the right direction, and their brands infuse our programs with authenticity.

Primerica is store front sponsor at the JA Discovery Center at Gwinnett in JA Finance Park presented by Assurant. Recently their staff volunteered for a day of inspiring students' independence, and they documented the experience on their blog!

Check it out here.

Publix Supermarket Charities gives $41,000 to support JA of Georgia learning solutions

Publix Super Markets Charities has given more than $41,000 through their ongoing partnership with Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia to support various learning solutions. Publix Super Markets Charities has maintained a storefront sponsorship in JA Finance Park at the JA Chick-fil-A Foundation Discovery Center since 2013, and they opened a storefront space in August in JA Finance Park presented by Assurant at the JA Discovery Center at Gwinnett. 

Their storefront offers middle school students the opportunity to experience their financial futures first hand. JA Finance Park arms students with the knowledge to budget, save and invest through an immersive and authentic simulation experience. After being given a life scenario with details such as their education level, income and family structure, students must decide how to save, spend and invest their money at 18 different businesses. Their decisions range from needs like housing and food, to wants like entertainment and luxury cars. 

At the Publix store, students make budgeting decisions around providing food for themselves and their families. Do they have enough room in the budget for fresh produce every week, or do they need to make compromises elsewhere to achieve a healthy diet? What is the cost difference in preparing meals at home versus eating meals out? These are just a few of the questions that volunteers help students answer during their time in the Publix store. 

Publix Super Markets Charities’ support of JA’s learning solutions goes beyond their storefront sponsorships in the metro-Atlanta area. The grant funding supports learning solutions across multiple regions in the state, including the Southern Coastal, Northwest, Northeast and West Central Georgia areas, to help JA serve nearly 170,000 students annually.