Junior Achievement Greater Washington Futures - May 2012

[Howard Hartman]

Financial Literacy | Work Readiness | Entrepreneurship
Greater Washington Futures
May 2012	DONATE   |   VOLUNTEER   |   myJA.org
Ed Grenier President and CEO Junior Achievement of Greater Washington Like so many others in our area, I was lucky enough to see the final flight of space shuttle Discovery last month. It was a deeply moving experience that not only heralded the end of American space flight as we know it, but also ushered in a promising new era. With decreased government involvement in space exploration, it falls upon private entrepreneurs to take the lead. And they are, with SpaceX launching the first commercial rocket to dock at the International Space Station yesterday, and other companies planning to launch commercial spaceflights and mine asteroids within the next few years. JA remains steadfast in its commitment to teaching entrepreneurship. Now it is even more important that we do so, as the young entrepreneurs we teach today will become the pioneers of space exploration tomorrow. As always, your support makes our work possible. Thank you.	Empowering young people to own their economic success JA Rings NASDAQ Opening Bell In early May six Junior Achievement students joined JA CEO Ed Grenier to ring NASDAQ's opening bell at the invitation of The Carlyle Group, which went public that morning. Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein has sponsored the Junior Achievement Essay Competition for the last four years, and offered Junior Achievement this opportunity. To watch the video of the opening bell ceremony, please click here, and to read the Washington Post's coverage of the story, please click here. NBC 4 Features Finance Park NBC 4 reporter Liz Crenshaw recently visited Junior Achievement Finance Park, an experiential financial literacy learning center in Fairfax, VA. There, she interviewed students as they learned how to create and balance a realistic budget that includes line items ranging from housing and utilities to dining out and entertainment. One student commented, “It's good to know this is how it actually works so I'm not surprised in the real world!” To watch the video, please visit www.myJA.org/ financepark/photos/videos/#nbc4. Junior Achievement Hosts Financial Literacy Day on the Hill On April 17, Junior Achievement met with leaders on Capitol Hill to discuss the importance of financial literacy education across the nation. As host of the 2012 National Financial Literacy Day on the Hill, JA welcomed US Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY) and US Representatives Judy Biggert (R-IL) and Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) as special guest speakers at the event. To learn more about JA's financial literacy programs, please visit www.myJA.org/programs/. New Survey Finds Drop in Teen Confidence About Their Financial Futures JA's 2012 Teens and Personal Finance Survey revealed that only 56% of teens 14-18 years old think they will be as financially well-off or better than their parents, a drop of 37% from one year ago. Further, less than half of teens who responded indicated they'd be financially independent from their parents or guardians by age 20 versus a year ago. To learn more about how teens view personal finance, please visit www.myJA.org/about/polls/ personal_finance_2012.html. Junior Achievement Announces Essay Competition Winners The winners of the 2011 Junior Achievement Essay Competition, sponsored by Carlyle Group's David Rubenstein, were honored at a recent awards ceremony. Ten high school students won $110,000 in scholarships, and three schools won $18,000 in grants for having the highest student participation in their respective states. At the ceremony, David Rubenstein spoke about his reasons for sponsoring the competition, including his desire to teach youth to write persuasively, to encourage both business and social entrepreneurship, and to give back to the community. Please click here to view photos of the awards ceremony, or visit www.myJA.org/students/essay /winners/ to read the winning essays.
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