Position Details
Pay: $15/hour
Location: JA Colonial Group Discovery Center (GSU, Armstrong Campus Savannah, GA)
Schedule: Weekdays only, 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. | 5 – 6 hours/day
Commitment: minimum 3 days per week, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays preferred
Training: JA Mentors will be trained in advance of the simulations beginning: JA BizTown and JA Finance Park
Other notes about job: Transportation not provided; must be able to stand for long periods of time; business professional attire; comfortable with general navigation/use of iPads and computers; work well in a fast-paced, team environment; passionate about working with middle and high school aged students; bring your own lunch daily (program schedule will not allow time to leave the premises for lunch).
Description
As a JA Mentor at the JA Colonial Group Discovery Center of Savannah, you take on a leadership role guiding groups of 5–12 middle school students through immersive simulations like JA BizTown and JA Finance Park. You may provide periodic support to the onsite JADC Experience team with program set-up and/or reset, etc. This role will also provide a high-level of customer service to all visitors (external guests, educators, school students, etc.).
JA Mentors are trained to facilitate engaging, real-life scenarios that teach financial literacy, career readiness, and community responsibility. You will also interact with a wide range of professionals, including educators, JA staff, and other adult role models.
About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. By bridging the business and education communities through hands-on experiential programs focused on business, entrepreneurship, civic responsibility, career-readiness, and financial literacy. JA aims to achieve the following overarching goals focusing primarily on middle and high school students:
To motivate, engage and inspire students to recognize the value and relevance of education, and to make informed decisions about their own personal education and career pathways.
To equip students with the key career-readiness skills that will drive success in any environment, and to invigorate innovative, creative, and entrepreneurial thinking among our youth.
To develop a financially literate generation who understands key business principles and makes responsible personal financial management decisions.
To increase student understanding and appreciation of their civic rights, roles, and responsibilities.
About JA Discovery Center Programs
JA BizTown (6th Grade): Students take on roles as citizens, consumers, and employees in a simulated economy, learning how businesses, government, and personal finance intersect.
JA Finance Park (7th–8th Grade): Students receive a life scenario and must manage a budget, make financial decisions, and experience the challenges of balancing needs and wants.
Day to Day Operational TaskS
Support program excellence by preparing daily simulation materials and technology and ensuring all student spaces are cleaned at the end of each day.
Assist with facilitating onsite volunteer training daily (60-90 minutes) and provide guidance throughout the simulation to 20-40 volunteers to help them coach students by applying their personal experiences within the simulation.
Assist with the orderly unloading and loading of buses upon arrival and departure, escort students into secure space, verify student numbers on arrival and departure.
Assist with the onsite engagement of up to 150 students per day by facilitating daily activities, coordinating daily simulation schedule and other logistics to ensure completion of simulation.
Deliver a consistent, high-quality, high-energy experience every day during the school year (approx. 175 days).
Qualifications
Preferred Background: Passionate about working with students. Relevant experience engaging youth. Desire to empower and be a role model for middle and high school students.
Key Skills: Reliable, enthusiastic about working with middle and high school students, strong in communication, teamwork, and customer service.
Additional Preferred Skills: Able to perform and prioritize multiple tasks with attention to detail.
Requirements: Must pass a criminal background check and adhere to JA Conduct Standards.
JA Mentor Conduct Standards
Junior Achievement serves youth. JA Mentors teach valuable lessons in their program delivery and especially in their conduct with students. Young people look to adults for examples of appropriate behavior. Adult misconduct with or in the presence of youth carries serious consequences. Because JA cares that its staff members have healthy, appropriate relationships with the youth they serve, it has established the following standards.
Language and Behavior – JA staff must use appropriate language and model honorable behavior, such as respect, integrity, honesty, and excellence. Profanity or sexualized language or jokes are inappropriate when working with students. JA strictly forbids violating any state law regarding interactions with youth; for example, providing them alcohol or legal or illegal drugs, or coaxing them into illicit relationships over the Internet or otherwise. Any form of physical or emotional abuse, including striking, bullying, harassment or other degrading behavior is strictly prohibited.
Contact with Students – JA Mentors should avoid all physical contact with students beyond a business handshake.
Appropriate Communication – Interactions with students must be appropriate and appear appropriate. It is expected that JA Mentors’ interactions with students are at all times appropriate and professional and are strictly related to the role of mentor. It is unacceptable to seek or engage in one-to-one meetings or private communications with students at any time.
Attentiveness to Students – JA Mentors are responsible for the quality of their interactions with students. Students often find it difficult to communicate their discomfort or objections. JA Mentors must be especially sensitive to physical and verbal cues that youth provide.
Intellectual Property Rights – JA Mentors will be presenting, facilitating, and discussing content and ideas with students that are owned by JA, its licensors, or the students. JA Mentors agree that they do not obtain any intellectual property rights therein, will not seek ownership in or contest those intellectual property rights, and will not attempt to secure trademark, patent or other intellectual property rights or registrations therein without prior written consent from Junior Achievement USA.
Appropriate Attire – JA requires that you wear business casual apparel. JA Mentors should not wear revealing clothing, or clothing that emits offensive odors. JA Mentors should not wear any clothing or reveal tattoos that reference potentially sensitive cultural, religious, or political messages.
Personal Belongings – JA is not responsible for the loss of any personal belongings. It is the responsibility of each JA Mentor to adequately safeguard personal belongings.
Drug, Tobacco, Weapon Free – JA Discovery Centers and schools are drug, tobacco, and weapon free environments. The possession, use, or distribution of drugs, alcohol, and/or weapons is prohibited. Likewise, all JA Mentors are prohibited from entering our centers under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol and/or in possession of a weapon.
The aforementioned standards do not represent a comprehensive list.
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that individuals, namely women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At JA of Georgia, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and genuine workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be the best candidate for this role or another within the organization.
This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related duties required by their supervisor. This document does not create an employment contract implied or otherwise, other than an "at-will" relationship.