Junior Achievement Seeks Entrepreneurs to Visit Classrooms During Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 16-22

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Contact: Beth Okeon
beth@abomarketing.com
901.409.7607

Junior Achievement Seeks Entrepreneurs to Visit Classrooms During Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 16-22

(Memphis, TN) – Junior Achievement of Memphis announced that it will be celebrating JA Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 16-22. The initiative, designed to coincide with Global Entrepreneurship Week, will put entrepreneurs into high school classrooms across America during the week to share what inspired them to start their own businesses and to open students’ eyes to the opportunities provided by entrepreneurship. JA of Memphis is seeking entrepreneurs to visit area classrooms for about an hour during the week.

“JA is known for bringing entrepreneurship education into the classroom,” says Larry Colbert, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Memphis. “What makes this initiative different is that it offers the opportunity for students to engage directly with entrepreneurs in the classroom, allowing these business leaders to effectively mentor young people in a group setting.”

Research conducted by JA shows that while young people look up to entrepreneurs such as Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, today’s teens may be more risk averse than previous generations and are seeking out mentors and role models to help them gain a better understanding of how to plan for the future. JA believes it is important to provide young people with an opportunity to engage with entrepreneurs to help them better understand the challenges and benefits of starting a business.

JA Entrepreneurship Week accentuates current JA programs by bringing an inspiring entrepreneur into the classroom for one hour during the week to share his or her experience with students. The program is designed to be simple for the entrepreneurs to implement, but impactful for the teens participating. For example, during a JA experience, students can learn how to create a business plan or successfully interview for a job.

To help engage entrepreneurs, JA will be working with several organizations, including the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Memphis entrepreneurs interested in participating can contact Jennifer Loving, Program Manager for Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South, Inc. at 901-507-2075 orjloving@jamemphis.org.

To learn more JA Entrepreneurship Week, visit JA.org/Entrepreneurs.

About Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South:
Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South is a not-for-profit organization financed by businesses, foundations and individuals. JA’s purpose is to educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, business and economics to improve the quality of their lives. Simply, JA teaches children ‘how business works.’ Junior Achievement is located in the heart of downtown Memphis at 307 Madison Avenue. For more information on Junior Achievement, visit http://cp.mcafee.com/d/2DRPoOcxMArhoosuoKeopdCQkkkm7QTT6jqaaab3Wrya9ISrdG-GIjBise8RcCTXeKyG8WO0GgYsguud7dNnkrK2H3G7yF1VSUGDpPhO3ZHuyYrdCPpI048WHWGNele00UrdEFLcf6PtPqpJUTsTsSyrh or call 901.366.7800.