"A child is never too young to understand
that learning and fun go hand in hand"
In Junior Achievement's Business Basics Program students in Grade Five gain a better understanding of the role businesses play in their daily lives. The participants develop positive attitudes towards business enterprises and studying economics in their local community.
By nurturing the natural interests of these young and possibly prospective entrepreneurs, the anticipated outcome is to introduce the students to the fundamental elements of business which can be built upon as they continue their education and may even ignite a latent spark which will direct children into the world of business when they are older.
Through the expert guidance of the volunteer business consultants and the dedication of their classroom teachers, these young students learn topics which are intricate to business and their daily lives. Through using fun and colourful age appropriate activities and lively discussions students become part of an amazing journey of discovery. The classroom lessons are structured to explore four key topics while reinforcing learning skills promoted in the fifth grade curriculum.
The Four Business Basics Modules:
Organization - is a basic introduction to the wide variety of skills and resources necessary to start a business and the common forms of Organizations found in Canada.
Management - in this section student's will clarify and expand their understanding of the role of management in a business. Several typical management level decisions will be identified and one very important class of decisions will be emphasized - hiring new employees. By discussing personnel decisions from the manager's perspective, students will have the opportunity to identify the qualities and characteristics of a "good employee". Students will also be able to devote time to practicing interview skills and discussing future career options.
Production - Students will use various strategies to produce a product - Business Basic Pens. This will provide an opportunity to discuss important economic concepts such as "Productivity" and "Division of labour." At the conclusion of this lesson, students should be developing a strong understanding of several production strategies and the effect of management decisions on productivity.
Marketing - Next, in this logical progression of topics, the students learn about the significance of marketing a product. The participants will focus on different aspects of marketing: pricing, and advertising(personal selling). By analyzing typical ads in the media (newspaper, magazine and television) the students will learn about different advertising stategies. Finally, they will design an advertisement using a chosen strategy, or they will learn the characteristics of effective sales techniques.
The Goals of this Program are:
1) Supplement the elementary school curriculum with skills and concepts related to business and economics.
2) Develop student awareness of the operation and responsibilities of business in the free enterprise.
3) Encourage students to explore career opportunities.
4) Provide elementary students with positive role models.
Volunteer Time Commitment: 4 - 1 hour sessions plus 2 hour training.
If you are interested in volunteering for this program at one of our local schools click here.
