Junior Achievement Workshop Facilitators
Junior Achievement (JA) started with a vision to help teach young people about business and free enterprise. That was back in 1919, before JA became a global leader in educating youth about financial literary, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Now in over 121 countries, JA brings volunteers together with over 10.2 million of our future leaders. We believe in the boundless potential of young people and share their passion for excellence,respect their talents and creativity, celebrate their honesty and integrity, and create opportunities for hands-on learning.
JA Southern Alberta has grown into an organization that operates through 8 offices across southern Alberta, reaching almost 40,000 students in grades K-12 every year. With the help of local school boards, companies dedicated to youth success, multiple Rural Leadership Councils, and a committed board, we are positioned to grow even further.
Imagine what we’ll be able to accomplish with your experience and support. Junior Achievement is the link between education and the business world, giving youth the confidence and knowledge they need to define personal success, enhance their workforce readiness and pursue their dreams. Participating pre-service teachers will have the chance to implement engaging workshops that align with the Alberta curriculum and set students up for success as leaders in our communities.
What's Involved
- Pre-Service teachers will participate in a 90-minute training session for each program they will be supporting as facilitators. Most facilitators will begin supporting 1 workshop series, but may support additional programs based on subject/grade interests.
- Participants will work alongside JA staff to facilitate half-day (4-hour) workshops focusing on financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship.
- Pre-Service teachers should commit to facilitating 4-5 workshops (including preparation, setup, and delivery) as part of the program, with more site visits based on participant availability
- Workshops will be guided by existing Junior Achievement resources, and are aligned to Alberta Education curriculum for each grade level
- As participants become more comfortable with each workshop, they will be encouraged to take on greater leadership roles within the sessions, including leading workshop activities, selecting components from the provided content, and supporting community volunteers who are new to the program
Requirements
Pre-service teachers need a current Police Information Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening (issued after May 1 of the current academic year). Students who do not already have a police check should begin this process online with their local Police station as soon as possible as police checks often take 4-6 weeks to process. Please see the Field Experience Police Information Requirement webpage for more information on how to request a PIC-VS.
Volunteers will be required to sign a Volunteer Code of Conduct through JA.
JA Workshops Include
- Grade 4: More than Money
- Grade 5: Our Business World
- Grade 6: A Business of Our Own
- Grade 7: Dollars with Sense
- Grade 8: Understanding the Value of Diversity
- Grade 9: Economics for Success
Program Learning Outcomes
- Apply a variety of facilitation strategies to encourage discussion, generate ideas, and build consensus
- Develop stronger connections to the professional community and specific organizations
- Gain experience working with youth in a classroom setting
- Identify specific opportunities for you to contribute to program communities in a positive, professional manner
- Model positive behaviour for children, youth, teachers, and parents
Junior Achievement Dates
JA Training
- 90 minutes per program (participants will begin supporting a program for 1 grade level, but may choose to get involved in additional programs/grades)
- Training sessions will be virtual
- Training sessions will be held each week as follows:
- MTM (Grade 4) – Thursdays at noon
- OBW (Grade 5) – Wednesdays at noon
- ABO (Grade 6) – Wednesdays at 2:30
- DWS (Grade 7) – Tuesdays at 2:30
- DIA (Grade 8) – Thursdays at 2:30
- EFS (Grade 9) – Tuesdays at noon
- Additional training times are available on a case by case basis
JA Workshops
- 4-5 Junior Achievement Workshops: To be scheduled; during school hours. Each workshop runs for half of the school day, usually in the mornings on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays.
- Specific dates and times will be set based on student/program schedules
- While workshops are scheduled every month of the school year, a large number of workshops are offered in November of each year as part of Financial Literacy month.
In total, pre-service teachers agree to commit to a minimum of 20 hours for their service-learning experience
Co-Curricular Service-Learning Dates
Fall Semester Timeline
- Fall 2024 Applications Open: August 28, 2024
- Werklund Information Sessions:
- Cancelled; please email wse.experiential@ucalgary.ca with any questions about the Service-Learning program or to arrange for a meeting.
- Fall 2024 Applications Close: September 17, 2024 for smaller programs, larger placement applications are ongoing.
- Fall 2024 Placements Start: early October (program dependent)
- Fall 2024 Placements End: mid-December (program dependent)
Winter Semester Timeline
- Winter 2025 Applications Open: November 15, 2024
- Winter 2025 Information Session: November 26, 5:00 pm (Zoom)
- Winter 2025 Applications Close: Ongoing, program-dependent
- Winter 2025 Placements Start: early January (program dependent)
- Winter 2025 Placements End: mid-March (program dependent)
Experiential Learning Check-In & Reflection Opportunities
All participants in Experiential Learning programs are welcome and encouraged to attend at least two of the check-in & reflection sessions below as part of their program. Reflection is an incredibly important part of experiential learning. It encourages students to consider their experience so far and to adjusted as needed as they go forward through the rest of their program, or into the next step of their career.
Fall Check-In & Reflection Sessions
- Tuesday, October 15, 2024: 9:30 am (Zoom)
- Monday, October 21, 2024: 2:45 pm (in-person, register here)
- Tuesday, October 29, 2024: 5:00 pm (Zoom)
- Monday, November 4, 2024: 9:30 am (Zoom)
- Tuesday, November 19, 2024: 12:00 pm (Zoom)
- Friday, November 29, 2024: 9:30 am (in-person, register here)
- Tuesday, December 10, 2024: 5:00 pm (Zoom)
- Thursday, December 12, 2024: 9:30 am (in-person, register here)
Winter Check-In & Reflection Sessions
- Monday, January 20, 2025: 9:30 am (in-person, register here)
- Monday, January 20, 2025: 2:30 pm (Zoom)
- Thursday, January 30, 2025: 9:00 am (in-person, register here)
- Monday, February 3, 2025: 9:30 am (in-person, register here)
- Tuesday, February 4, 2025: 12:00 pm (Zoom)
- Thursday, February 20, 2025: 1:30 pm (Zoom)
- Tuesday, March 4, 2025: 5:00 pm (Zoom)
Applications for some Fall 2024 placements are still open!
Interested in applying for a volunteer opportunity?
- Log on to Elevate and go to My Werklund Experiences > Courses/Programs
- Find the Service-Learning program and click Apply
- Complete the Service-Learning Application
Delivering material in the classroom that brings up topics not touched on in the curriculum was so interesting! I’ve also been able to practice and improve my classroom management skills, and pushed myself to adapt the workshop material to each unique classroom environment.
JA Participant
They gave me a lot of responsibility (leading classes on my own) whereas normally there are two volunteers for each classroom. This allowed me to gain experience about classroom management which was is an integral part of my learning.
JA Participant
