Programs

Junior Achievement's new RoboGarden program provides educators with a fun and easy way for students to learn to code. RoboGarden is an easy to understand, hands-on educational app where students take part in active learning. Fully equipped to teach coding literacy from scratch, RoboGarden reduces the need for a tech-savvy teacher.

Today apps on mobile devices are the most exciting, engaging ways for young learners to interact with the digital world and be inspired to contribute their own creativity and problem-solving abilities to the online universe. JA Southern Alberta's RoboGarden program provides students access to an easy-to-use app builder where learners get the opportunity to write their own app using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which the RoboGarden engine then wraps into a shareable mobile app. RoboGarden’s App Builder helps stimulate students’ creativity while also building key digital skills.

JA Our Families explains how family members' jobs and businesses contribute to the well-being of the family and of the community.

The learning experience introduces the concept of needs and wants and explores the ways families plan for and acquire goods and services. Students analyze their own skills to determine ways they can support their families. The program also familiarizes students with Canadian coins and bills, while providing a brief introduction to key personal finance tools such as credit and debit cards.

Technological innovation is key to driving Canada’s economy. However, students don’t have enough opportunities to innovate and think creatively.

In JA’s Our Country - Technology and Innovation, elementary school students develop innovative, new ideas for business and society. They learn about Canada’s technological past and present, as well as share ideas that could become our next great innovation. Students will also learn good money habits through an introduction to responsible spending and saving, including the importance of saving for short-term and long-term goals.

Students are often taught that success means "getting a good job" after graduation. Many are not aware that launching a business is a viable career option that can bring them amazing opportunities.

However, starting a business is not a career option that most children are encouraged to consider. In JA’s Our Business World program, elementary students explore how businesses are created and what makes them thrive. Using games and multimedia, students learn about innovation, start-ups and self-employment.

Canadian personal debt is at a record high. Canadian youth are growing up in a time in which spending is easier than ever and debt is a way of life. This problem is exacerbated by hectic family schedules, which leave parents with little time to teach their children about money management.

How can we prepare today’s youth to avoid personal debt?

Through the newly updated Dollars With Sense program, students get the vital tools they need to make smart financial decisions, live debt-free and become savvy investors. Students learn personal money management skills that they can apply to their lives… beginning now.

In this challenging job market, entrepreneurs are the key to job growth. Many Canadian youth have the passion to launch their own businesses to create jobs for themselves and others. However, the skills that young people need to run businesses aren’t taught in most schools.

JA's Be Entrepreneurial program inspires grade 10-12 students to imagine a business venture while still in school. Volunteers from the local business community partner with classroom teachers to ignite students' entrepreneurial spirit and help them create business plans.

For many students, the transition from high school to post-secondary education or employment can be overwhelming. Students often feel that their high-school experiences haven’t adequately prepared them to meet the demands of university, a career, or living on their own.

In Economics for Success, students take a closer look at the advantages of staying in school, as well as learn what’s needed to succeed in today's workforce. Volunteers from the local business community partner with classroom teachers to help students see the link between education and achieving their goals. A third-party study found that over 65% of past Achievers credit JA with their decision to stay in school and enroll in post-secondary education, 75% believe JA had a significant impact on their financial-literacy, decision-making skills, and business sense.

It's not often we get the chance to sit down with someone in the profession we dream of getting into. How might your life change if you could?

World of Choices will bring students together with Career Mentors in their desired fields and give them the opportunity to talk with others in professions they’d never considered before. Five sessions, small tables, an afternoon that will open a world of choices to Alberta's youth.

Company Program offers students the opportunity to make real business decisions, develop leadership skills, make new friends and have fun! Company program has proven to improve employability, workforce readiness and awareness of new career opportunities. In this hands-on program, students learn the risks and rewards of starting a business and how to build positive relationships with the community.

Over a four-month period, JA’s Company Program teaches grade 9-12 students how to organize and operate a real business. Volunteers from the local business community work with students to launch and run a small enterprise. This gives students the real-world skills and experience that they need to achieve their dreams of becoming entrepreneurs.