Junior Achievement Is Recruiting Volunteers
GIRARD, Ohio — Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley is looking for volunteers to teach students about entrepreneurship, personal financial literacy and workforce readiness in K-12 classrooms in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.
“By sharing their personal and work experiences, local volunteers bring real-world relevance into the classroom, bridging the gap between the education and business worlds,” says Michele Merkel, president of Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley. “This sharing brings the curriculum to life for students, helping them not only to better understand the lessons, but also to make the correlation between a solid education and the opportunities it provides.”
Volunteers are critical to Junior Achievement programming and can impact a large number of students in a short time, Merkel says. They can also inspire and prepare the students for their future and help them avoid financial pitfalls that many adults currently face.
Time commitment varies by grade level:
• Elementary school programs – Five weekly sessions for 30 to 45 minutes each.
• Middle school programs – Six weekly sessions for 45 minutes each.
• High school programs – Five to 12 weekly sessions for 45 minutes each.
Volunteers receive turnkey materials for teaching each class, including a comprehensive volunteer lesson plan guide, engaging activity materials and fun posters. Junior Achievement staff trains volunteers to use the materials and matches volunteers to a teacher. Teachers also provide flexibility regarding volunteer visitation schedule and remain in the classroom to support volunteers throughout the sessions.
Those interested in volunteering can attend drop-in volunteer information sessions from 9 a.m. to noon on Feb. 15 at the Junior Achievement office at 1601 Motor Inn Drive #305. A virtual Zoom session will be held that day from 2 to 5 p.m. The second date for the information sessions is Feb. 18 with the Zoom session from 9 a.m. to noon, and the in-person session from 2 to 5 p.m. at the office.
Volunteer sign-up opportunities are detailed at MahoningValley.ja.org/volunteer/opportunity/volunteers-needed. Interested volunteers may also email [email protected] or call 330 539 5268.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
