Junior Achievement of Southern Alberta

What services does your organization provide?
Junior Achievement provides in school and after school programs educating youth in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. All of our programs are delivered by volunteers from the business community free of charge to schools and students.

Do you have any age requirements?
JA does not have a minimum age requirement, but rather level of experience needed to feel confident delivering our programs in and outside of the classrooms. An interview is conducted to find the most suitable position for the volunteer.

Do you require language proficiency other than in English?
No

What time commitment(s) are you expecting from a volunteer?
It all depends on the program and how much time the individual volunteer wishes to commit. Our time commitments can range from 7-8 hours to 55 hours.

Are there any other requirements for being a volunteer?
We require our volunteers to fill out a volunteer registration form, provide 1-2 references (depending on the program), agree to our Privacy Policy and Volunteer Agreement, attend a training prior to entering the classroom.

Are there any specific skills and experience required?
Depending on the program chosen certain levels of experience will assist the volunteer in their comfort level with our program materials. Our programs range from financial literacy, investing, building a business and the basics of a business. We do have life skills programs that almost anyone with life experience can deliver with confidence.

What type of volunteer positions are typically available?
Volunteers with JA go into the classrooms and deliver our programs to the students. They are sharing their expertise and experience with the students while following the JA program materials. Volunteers can also be advisors and work with students over 18 weeks to build their own business.

Is there any training provided for volunteers?
Yes. All volunteers are trained. Training is 1.5 hours long for in school programs, and 3 hours for after school program. Volunteers are trained by a JA staff member on the specific program.

What are the typical volunteer activities occurring at your organization?
Volunteers typically go into classrooms or help run the after school program. All volunteers work with the students to teach them the program material

How will a person benefit from volunteering with Junior Achievement of Southern Alberta?
The volunteer experience with JA is a great way to give back to youth in your community. They will benefit by sharing their experiences with youth which is something a teacher or parent cannot provide for them. Students learn through interactive games and activities and draw their own conclusions on what it takes to be successful in the future.

Do you accept high school students?
JA programs are successful because of the experienced business volunteers going into the classrooms. In special cases, high school students can volunteer as student ambassadors for the after school program. Acting as a mentor for other students in the program.