“Businesses today have a double bottom line; social good plus financial returns,” states Junior Achievement President and CEO, Robin Wise, “at Junior Achievement we believe that paving a path for our young people to this understanding is essential to tomorrow’s success.”

Seven other non-profits were finalists for the award, including The Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, YMCA of Metro Denver, AlloSource, The Children’s Hospital, The Jefferson Foundation, Bridgeway and the Daniels Fund.

“These honorees exhibit all the qualities we look for in ethical role models from sustainability and community involvement to personal integrity and high ethical standards,” says Stephen Weinstein, president of CEBA’s Board of Directors.

Teams of students from the University of Denver, Daniels School of Business and the University of Colorado, Denver conducted research and interviewed finalists and presented their findings to an independent selection committee that determined the award winner.

Since its formation in 1991, CEBA’s prestigious award program has recognized more than 83 Coloradans and businesses as outstanding role models for ethical business practices and leadership. Robin Wise points out the importance of CEBA and the significance that the award carries, “it’s critical that we pass the message along to our students that they have a duty to be trustworthy and truthful. Why? Because tomorrow truly does reside in the mind of today’s child.”

More than 3,500 volunteers will participate in Junior Achievement classrooms this year and count among them the president and CEO of JA, Robin Wise. Robin is teaching the high school program – “JA Success Skills.” Here’s what she has to say about her experience.

“I just got back from teaching my fourth session of JA Success Skills to a class of juniors at South High School. I LOVE it, and absolutely have a blast with the students each week. I have to admit that having never taught this particular JA program before I was a bit nervous. In fact, I told the students how I was feeling during my first visit — they laughed. Come to think of it they laugh at a lot of stuff I say, but that’s part of what makes this experience so much fun! “My kids”, as I have sometimes refer to them, have come to the United States from 14 countries like Ethiopia, Congo, Eritrea (which I learned is a country that is bordered by Sudan and Ethiopia), Russia, Mexico, Vietnam and Algeria to name a few. No matter what their background, the language of possibility is the same, and that’s why together we experience so many possibilities.”

Motivation to succeed stems from very different places for boys and girls.  The JA-ING poll found that fewer girls than boys said they needed perks such as a promotion and raise (girls 38%, boys 56%), to excel on the job.  When asked if they needed additional motivation to succeed, 40% of girls responded that they did not, while only 22% of boys said they needed no extra motivation.

As women start to outnumber men in the workforce, taking a look at what careers boys and girls aspire to can provide insight on whether this new workplace balance is here to stay.  Girls are choosing careers that are and will continue to be in high demand — 20% of girls want to be doctors versus only 9% of boys.  The poll finds that girls are selecting those jobs which tend to be more in demand, which should further tilt the employment scales in their favor.  For a full survey abstract, visit:  http://ja.org/files/polls/kids_careers_2010-JA-ING-Teens-and-Career-Poll.pdf.

The annual JA Extreme Partnership Award was created to recognize one JA Worldwide board company that has made a significant, strategic, global impact on all levels of the organization for at least three consecutive years. Minimum support in each year must include international funding of US$1 million, 1,000 volunteers and board leadership in at least 10 Junior Achievement locations around the world, in addition to the board of JA Worldwide.

“Junior Achievement values its partnership with Accenture. The engagement of Accenture volunteers and board members promotes JA’s outreach and program goals,” said Robin Wise, president and CEO of JA Rocky Mountain. “Accenture’s pro bono work locally has helped us achieve our goal of reaching 95,000 students in Denver, Northern Colorado and Wyoming.”

In 2008-09, Accenture supplied worldwide program support that included more than 1,000 volunteers (classroom volunteers, pro bono service providers and board members) and funding and in-kind donations exceeding $2.6 million. It provided $617,000 in funding to 31 local JA Member offices around the world, and employees served on 24 local JA boards.

“In this fast-changing world, skills are a key driver of economic empowerment,” said Todd Dunbar with the local office of Accenture and a JA board member. ”We are proud to work with Junior Achievement to help young people learn the skills they need to build confidence and capabilities that will, ultimately, help open doors to employment and independence.”

If you are a JA classroom volunteer, serve as a JA Job Shadow host or are participating in one of JA’s site-based programs all of this fits the Disney, “Give a Day. Get a Disney Day.” criteria. Starting now, JA-Rocky Mountain volunteers can register online at www.DisneyParks.com and search under the category “Education and Technology” to find Junior Achievement volunteer opportunities and sign up for a day of positive action. After you sign up and complete your day of service, the JA office will verify your volunteering and you will receive an email from Disney prompting you to log in to their account. After logging in you are able to print your Disney theme park ticket voucher.

If you haven’t had a chance to volunteer for JA, it’s not too late to get into a classroom and then qualify for your free day at Disney. Click here to see our current volunteer needs in your area.

“Junior Achievement Rocky Mountain is proud to partner in this action initative with the HandsOn Network,” said Robin Wise, president of JA Rocky Mountain. “We also want to thank the Disney organization for taking the time to recognize the good that people do in their communities—thus inspiring even more new volunteers.”

(Volunteers must pre-register and sign up for eligible volunteer opportunity at disneyparks.com. Ticket quantities for this program are limited. Must be at least age 6 to participate. Other terms and conditions may apply. For details, see disneyparks.com)

A recent national poll conducted by Junior Achievement (JA) and Deloitte indicates teens freely admit to unethical behavior today.

A few of the key findings:

• 80% of teens believe they can make ethical business decisions when they join the workforce, yet 38%  think they have to break rules at school to succeed nearly half believe that lying to parents/guardians is acceptable with 61% having done so in the past year.
• Only 25% said they would be very likely to reveal knowledge of unethical behavior in the workplace.

Because “moral courage is a missing piece in today’s business environment” says Robin Wise, President and CEO of Junior Achievement – Rocky Mountain Inc., we (JA) decided something needed to be done.

In 2002, in response to high profile corporate scandals and a negative public perception of business prompted the JA staff created a program where executives could engage local high school students in an interactive conversation about personal character and business ethics issues.  Called “Capitalism with a Conscience” (CWC), the goal of the program is to help high school students understand that ethics is doing what is right - even if no one is watching, event if it costs more money or takes more time and event if it goes against the majority.

What really makes this program unique is that local business executives visit classrooms to share their own values and beliefs, provide examples of ethics in their day-to-day decision making, and engage students in discussions about real-life ethical decisions they face in school life and personal relationships.

It’s a win for all involved - from business volunteers to teachers to students:

• Gary Lutz, EVP/Head of Private Banking and volunteer from Wells Fargo believes that it might help “if kids could just understand that the unwritten rules of what happens between your buddies are not that dissimilar from what happens in business.”
• “It’s not only a unique opportunity to put yourself in front of students, but it’s a way to give back without having to write a check” states Brian Addy, President and a volunteer from Ad-Venture Capital Management.  He continues “we all face ethical decisions that are not necessarily profit oriented and we see it quite often in the news where people just lose their moral compass”.
• “The CWC program helps bring the real world, with its relevant issues, up close and personal for the students”, says Pam Cummings, teacher at Dakota Ridge Sr. High.
• Matt Nicolo, teacher at Thomas Jefferson High believes that “having a business professional come into my classroom and re-emphasize what I’ve taught makes all of the difference in their (students) retention of the material.”

What JA wants to communicate to young people through the CWC program is that the vast majority of business is conducted honestly, and that “business” is an honorable profession to pursue.

“With CWC we hop to teach students a way to make decisions so they can act on their onw values and confront unethical behavior in the classroom, in their jobs, and with their friends”, says Wise.  And progress is being made, 22% of teens surveyed said they would act unethically if there was no risk of getting caught compared to 33% a few years earlier.

Obviously, there is still room for improvement.  As a business person reading this, we hope you’re ready to influence our future leaders and provide them a foundation for dealing with Capitalism with a Conscience.

Triche Guenin, president of Partners Through Change, Inc., a process improvement consulting firm, and is a business volunteer with Junior Achievement.

That’s why we’re reaching out to high school teachers, and other educators working with high school students, such as librarians, youth group leaders and after-school program staff, to take part in the National Financial Capability Challenge.

The goal is to get one million high school students to take the Challenge, which includes an online test, by April 9. Education Secretary, Arne Duncan is asking us to reach out to our educator family for help.

If you work with high school students ages 13-19, we encourage you to register for the Challenge by March 14th by going to http://challenge.treas.gov/educator_SignUp.aspx.

We worked hard on understanding the importance of engagement, of looking at problems through other people’s eyes, and of pro-actively developing solutions to basic and complex issues.  Initially, we did it in a way that spoke to them, but over time, we worked using challenges that were outside their comfort zone.  Many went through the motions, some went to sleep (literally) but a few took the opportunity to expand their perspective of the world.  A few of them grasped the importance of the lessons that business teaches us.  And while it was only a few, it made it worthwhile to get up early, drive to the other side of town, go through police security, and spend fifty minutes in a windowless classroom discussing a better future with these students.

Upon moving to Denver, I wanted to learn more about my new community, and begin contributing to it in a meaningful way.  While opportunities abounded, I wanted to continue to working in some educational format if possible, and based on prior board involvement experience, I knew that a well run organization was critical.  Having had the JA experience, it made sense to contact Junior Achievement to see how the organization took form here in Colorado.  Upon meeting Robin Wise, it soon became clear that the not only were the goals of JA aligned with my wants, but the organization was run, well, like a business!

Having a measurable goal as simple as improving high school graduation rates is a testament to the Junior Achievement organization.  Everyone benefits, from the student to society.  Joining the JA Board provided me with the opportunity to positively impact that kind of goal, and contribute to a community that prides itself on balancing the needs of community and individuals; of businesses and public institutions, all with the common good of all as its goal.

Mike Driscoll
VP of Sales & Account Management, Key Accounts
UnitedHealthcare