Local students learn about economics in simulated town
Nearly 100 local schoolchildren received handson learning in a simulated town recently in Tempe, Ariz.
Back in March, United Way of Yuma County, along with several community volunteers, took the trip with the group made up of fifth-graders to a simulated town called JA Biz Town.
“The program curriculum is specifically designed for 5th and 6th grade students,” explained CEO of United Way of Yuma County Karina Jones. “Although 5th graders are not old enough to work in the ‘real’ world yet, we believe it’s a great age to start teaching them how to carry a debit card, balance a checkbook and run a successful business team.
“I was blown away by the students’ ability to legitimately run a business at such a young age,” she added. “Every student has a job at JA Biztown — some are CEOs, CFOs, bank tellers, etc. It may seem like a young age to start, but these kids can already run a meeting, price goods, process payroll and make deposits too! I loved seeing them put into practice what they learned in the classroom.”
According to the United Way of Yuma County news release, participating students have been in a series of classroom lessons over the last twelve weeks where they learn about working in and being consumers “in today’s world.”
Students spent time working together to create business plans, calculate operating costs, design a marketing campaign, apply for jobs, vote for city officials and explore careers.
“My favorite part of the day was when a student asked me, ‘Is this a real job? Can I do this when I grow up?’” Jones recalled. “He was a CFO and some of his duties were processing payroll, taking out a business loan, prepping business deposits and paying bills for the day. My response was, ‘Yes! This is a real job. Let me introduce you to one of my staff members. He does exactly what you do every day.’”
Within JA Biz Town, students found an indoor city where they assumed roles of business leaders and consumers for a day-long, immersive career-prep experience.
The United Way of Yuma County partnered with Yuma Elementary School District to bring students from G.W. Carver Elementary School and O.C. Johnson Community School to promote skills in leadership, teamwork, critical thinking and financial literacy during their trip.
“Both schools were chosen by United Way of Yuma County,” Jones said. “Students were selected from within the school at the teacher’s discretion. We were especially proud of Carver students — they not only committed to the 13 week curriculum but attended the JA Biztown class before the actual school day started (at) 7:15 a.m.!”
The ultimate goal of the program, Jones said, is to help break the cycle of poverty for local residents.
“In order to break that cycle, we have to tackle poverty at the root level and hopefully stop it before it even begins,” she noted. “That’s where JA Biztown comes in. We want to give students opportunities to connect the dots between what they learn in the classroom and the real world. We want to empower them and show them practical ways to manage their personal finances as well as teach them the importance of becoming successful professionals within the community.”
Unfortunately, she noted, since Yuma does not have a local JA Biztown facility, students had to travel outside of the local area.
“Thanks to sponsors like The Spencer Companies, AEA Federal Credit Union, Smith Family Foundation and ACF of Yuma, we are able to bus students to JA Biztown in Tempe for the experience,” she said.