Junior Achievement (JA)

California is one of 30 states in the nation that does not require or provide formal financial literacy training for students. Consequently, many students today are making poor financial decisions, being lured into excessive credit card debt, and are unable to manage their money. SDSVP funded a pilot JA personal finance program to address these issues. JA taught personal finance to over 500 students in low-income high school classes across San Diego County.

SDSVP and JA will focus on a new initiative for financial literacy and business called JA Enterprise Village, the first of its kind in California. It will immerse 5th and 6th grade students in the fundamental components of free enterprise, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, economics, ethics and citizenship. Over half of the estimated 12,000 participants will be low-income youth.
All students will represent the diverse ethnic and cultural populations of San Diego. SDSVP will provide strategic guidance and capacity building in the areas of business planning, site selection, fundraising, marketing and communications.

“What is unique about the SDSVP partnership is that it provides multiple-year funding, as well as creative and dedicated personnel, to launch new programs. Multiple-year funding helps create an entrepreneurial environment in non-profits because it provides an additional incentive to stay the course when a new idea becomes challenging.”

Marion Paul,
Executive Vice President, Junior Achievement