Junior Achievement of Delaware
What’s behind the façade? Opportunity for today’s students to learn critical financial lessons that will impact lifelong decisions.
Invested in the future Since 2004, more than 16,000 students every year get the BizTown experience through The Rotary Center at Junior Achievement in Wilmington, thanks in part to the leadership and financial support of Newark Morning Rotary.
Since the opening of JA’s financial learning center for school students, Newark Morning Rotary has invested nearly $40,000 in JA’s mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Following several weeks of studying an economics curriculum in the classroom where the students are introduced to the importance of ethics and integrity in business, the students then visit JA to put their learning into practice. They play the roles of store managers, employees, disc jockeys, nurse, bill collectors, bank tellers, city utility employees, and others. Two coveted positions are that of the mayor and the Rotarian for the day. The students learn to run their city with ethics, honesty, and integrity, ensuring that their customers, (i.e. fellow classmates) are happy and satisfied with their experience. They also see how important volunteerism in their community is and exposes them
to the work and philosophy of service organizations, like Rotary clubs. The role of the Rotarian for the day, specifically sponsored by the Rotary Clubs, is to survey the “business managers,” asking them if they had any customer issues, how they were resolved, and was everyone satisfied. The Rotarian gives a report at the end of the day during the town hall meeting. They follow the driving principles of Rotary’s Four Way Test, comprised of four simple questions that help Rotarians make the right decisions in their professional and personal lives, beginning with “Is it the truth?” The other three questions are about fairness, honesty, and relationship building. “So many businesses that fail today or merely exist with shabby reputations cannot honestly answer the four questions with a ‘yes,’ ” said Robin Broomall, a member of the Newark Morning Rotary Club. “The focus with the kids is on honesty and doing what will be best for others, too, not just what’s in it for them,” Broomall explained. “It’s also an important lesson in preventing false rumors, bad feelings and bullying.” For more information on Junior Achievement of Delaware, visit www.jadelaware.org.
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