As of February 11, 600,000 volunteers have already participated in the Give A Day – Get A Disney Day program. It’s anticipated that the goal of celebrating one million volunteers will occur very soon. Once Disney reaches its one-million ticket goal, the program ends and we won’t be able to post new volunteer opportunities of any kind for the program. The level of volunteerism we’ve seen in the first months of 2010 is tracking new highs. Thank you for your participation and interest in this landmark program.
Disney Is Teaming Up With JA To Celebrate Volunteerism
Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain is celebrating the commitment of volunteering by partnering with Disney to reward our volunteers through the “Give a Day. Get a Disney Day.” program. Disney will give each volunteer a free, one day admission to Disneyland® Resort or Walt Disney World® Resort.
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)
Ethical readiness for the workforce – are today’s kids ready for it?
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.
Get Ready for the Challenge!
JA is dedicated to helping young people get the financial education they need to help them take responsibility for their financial futures
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.
Why I Joined the JA Board of Directors
I was first exposed to Junior Achievement in 9th grade. Our focus was on picking stocks, and it opened my eyes to some of the basic principles of business. While living in Central Florida, I had the opportunity to volunteer with JA in the classroom, and return the favor done for me many years prior. My class was filled with juniors and seniors, many of who had no idea which direction they wanted to take after high school. While a few were interested in college, most would be heading to the working world soon after graduation. My focus soon centered on imparting to them a clearer understanding of what the business world expected. Regardless of whether they wanted to go to college, work at a restaurant, or join the armed services, there were basic business lessons that could be applied to all which would set them on a more certain path to success.
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