JA Finance Park and JA Biztown - Capstone

Simulated Learning Programs

Innovative | Bold | Relevant

JA Finance Park and JA BizTown is all that, and more. These financial literacy laboratories exist to inspire and prepare youth to succeed. There is no question about it: Financial literacy and sound money management skills are essential to success. Today more than ever, young adults need a strong foundation for making intelligent, lifelong, personal financial decisions.

To improve the financial literacy of our future business leaders and employees, Junior Achievement has created an exciting reality-based learning environment for middle and high school students.

JA Finance Park and JA BizTown allows middle and high-school grade students to see, touch, and live the experience of personal finance in a real-life setting of stores, shops, and financial institutions, by basically becoming "an adult for the day."

Program Goals

The goals of JA Finance Park and JA BizTown are to:

Teach students to develop and follow a monthly budget
Help students to research and understand the actual "costs of living" for the basic necessities of life
Encourage students to develop and demonstrate personal responsibility for learning and self-management
Communicate and work with schools to promote the highest level of student achievement
Challenge students to think critically, creatively, analyze tasks, and solve problems

At JA Finance Park and JA BizTown, students are given a unique life profile after answering a series of future life-style questions. Their life profile includes an income, marital status, even kids! Using this new adult persona, students work to create a balanced monthly budget while making decisions regarding housing, transportation, insurance, savings, entertainment expenses and much more.

How You Can Participate

Volunteers are needed to mentor small groups of students throughout their day at JA Finance Park and JA BizTown. No special budgeting expertise or preparation is necessary and thorough training is provided for all volunteers!