DES MOINES — In a typical school year, hundreds of Central Iowa schools would be getting ready to welcome business professionals into their classroom as a Junior Achievement volunteer. Students would be getting to know their volunteer over five classroom visits, where volunteers would share stories about their jobs and connect classroom lessons to the real world.
In the current environment where visitors are not allowed in schools and corporate volunteerism limited, Junior Achievement began wondering how they could continue connecting the classroom to the business community. Their answer? A virtual platform where volunteers can record and upload short videos. Junior Achievement staff then reviews and matches the video with partnering schools.
“Constraints spark creativity,” said Ryan Osborn, President of Junior Achievement of Central Iowa. “We saw it as an opportunity to make it easier for someone from the business community to inspire students.”
In just 10 minutes, volunteers can serve as a Career Speaker or Subject Matter Expert from their office or remote work environment. Junior Achievement provides a guide that helps the volunteer foster financial literacy, inspire future entrepreneurs, and prepare students for future careers. Volunteers can allow students to follow up with them with questions and provide further advice and mentorship. For more information, visit www.jacentraliowa.org .