Mary Keely (left) presents Debrin Jenkins with a check to support Junior Achievement.

March 25, 2008

"Junior Achievement teaches kids about business," Debrin Jenkins told Putnam Rotarians at their luncheon meeting today. "We teach them about things that nobody else is teaching them. We teach them how to make good decisions based on needs versus wants, looking at the facts, not just the emotions. We teach them about how the economy works, about why things cost what they do.

"We teach them the simple things that we learned from our parents and our teachers that kids don't learn any more -- that you have to work for something, that you need to show up dressed appropriately, willing to work for the money that you're being paid, to be polite.

"we are a non-profit," said Jenkins, "but I have a problem with that term because I consider [Junior Achievement] the premier economic development machine in West Virginia.

"It doesn't matter how much money you put into infrastructure, how much tax reform you pass. Nothing is going to change in West Virginia until children start understanding business, economics and finance, until our children understand that they can stay here and open a business and be successful.

"And the only way that can happen is for people like you to get involved," she told the group.

"[Junior Achievement] provides a [teaching] kit for every grade level, from kindergarten up through the twelfth grade, and the kids need your experience.

"Teachers are wonderful," Jenkins explained, but she noted that actual business experience gave an added dimension to instruction.

"Consider the problems now with the housing market," she said. "A lot of people have taken loans and they have no possible way of paying them back. We need to teach kids about finances, about how money flows.

"Here is a second grade kit," she said for illustration. "And we also give a little civics lesson here." She unfolded a stylized map of Working in Your Community. "As you can see, this community has people doing various jobs all around town. If you will look, right here," she pointed, " there is an empty store front.

"We ask the kids to decide what type of business is best for the community to put in this empty store front.

"One kid wants to put in a skate park. Another wants to put in a toy store. And one wants to put in an animal shelter.

"They talk about the positives and negatives of each decision and then they have a ballot as to which choice would be best.

"I thought the toy store would win hands down,but only one kid votes for the toy store. Every other child votes for the animal shelter.

"When I question these second-graders as to why they didn't vote for the toy store, they say that other businesses in town sell toys and they don't think they need another toy store.

"They say they don't want the skate park because there are apartments over the space, and a skate park would be too noisy. They also think because it was near an intersection, kids might wander around and might get hit.

"When I ask why they vote for the animal shelter, one boy says people would come to the shelter to see the animals. And when they were there they would shop.

"So Junior Achievement teaches these skills to children, and the children go home and tell their parents.

"The curriculum in the higher grades is a little harder. We ask our volunteers to go into the classroom eight times. We have computer graphics on running a business. The kids have an avatar. They get a certain amount of startup money. They decide how much they are giving for research and development, how much they put into salaries, how much goes into capital venture.

"They have to decide whether they are going to be the Wal-Mart of the world, or JCPenney, or Mercedes-Benz. They work on problems generated by computer. For example, 25 percent of their production depends on copper, and the world copper price has increased.

"How are they going to make up their added costs? Are they going to raise prices? Are they going to cut employees?

"You can make a huge difference by volunteering to teach classes for Junior Achievement." Jenkins told her listeners. "If you have employees in your business who could volunteer, they would be out of the business only five or six hours. The kids need your experience."

Junior Achievement began in 1919 with a mid-western businessman who believed that free enterprise was the way for America to continue to grow. But he also believed that young people needed to be involved in business. They needed to understand economics, entrepreneurship, and finances.in order to be successful.

JA has grown into a worldwide organization with 140 offices in the United States, and operations in 116 countries.

And JA educated 8.5 million students last year alone.

The program is funded through corporate grants and a variety of charitable sources, but its greatest need is for volunteers willing to share their business experience in the classroom.

Debrin L. Jenkins is President of Junior Achievement of West Virginia & the Advantage Valley, Inc., with offices at 1700 MacCorkle Avenue, SE, Charleston, WV 25314-1518. She may be reached at (304) 346-9753 or (866) 521-6025