Sunday’s paper: Guide to Money Smart Week

Add comment March 31st, 2008

A pull-out guide to Money Smart Week was published in Sunday’s paper (yesterday).  Same size as the Go section, look for Ben Franklin.

Check it out for classes, events, and a listing of local partners.

Money Smart Week

Add comment March 27th, 2008

Did any of you happen to see Ben Franklin walking around the streets of Rockford last weekend?  Or at the Ice Hogs game?

Ben was here helping to promote “Money Smart Week.”  From April 6-12, the entire Rockford area will be treated to a week of free classes and workshops on financial topics as a part of Illinois’ first-annual Money Smart Week, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.  Local partners are hosting an impressive number of events for kids, teens, adults, and senior citizens of every financial background.

There are some wonderful workshops being offered for kids and teens:

 Would you like your 4th grader to learn about saving money?  Take her to “AMKIDS - The Importance of Saving Money” - April 9, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm, at Liberty Baptist Church.

Does your high school student need to open a checking account, or start looking for college loans?  The workshop “Teens and Money” will get him started - Thursday, April 10th, two sessions at Ellis Heights United Center.

 Do you have a young artist or scientist in the family?  She’ll make some real-world connections with money at ”The Art & Science of Money” - Sunday, April 6  - Friday, April 11, at the Discovery Center Museum.

Visit the website below to access the full calendar of events for Money Smart Week, and to see a listing of local partners.  Take advantage of these opportunities to help your kids become more financially savvy, and don’t forget to look for workshops that you’d like to attend: anyone interested in “Conquering Credit” ?

 http://www.moneysmartweek.org/illinois

Teaching Financial Literacy to Young People

Add comment March 25th, 2008

Becoming “financially literate” is kind of like learning a second language: it’s something that anyone can accomplish, but it’s best learned at a young age.  And, the earlier you are exposed to financial literacy, the more you stand to gain from it.

 Teaching financial literacy to area youth will be one of the main themes of the “Preparing Our Future” blog.  Aimed at parents and educators, my blog entries will highlight techniques and opportunities to teach young people about money management skills, entrepreneurship, and work readiness.  As Larry Messing mentioned in his first post, young people need to be prepared and inspired to take charge of their future, and financial lessons are key.

 Two of the bloggers, Larry and myself, come from the Rock River Valley chapter of Junior Achievement.  Many of our readers may remember the Junior Achievement “Company Program” from their highschool days.  Today, JA is a worldwide organization that brings financial literacy programs to children in grades K-12.  Locally, each year over 250 JA volunteers reach 5,000 students in over 30 schools in the Rock River Valley.

I look forward to discussing the economic education of our local youth with you, and would like to thank Business Rockford for making it possible.  We will be working hard to keep this blog updated and relevant, and I hope that it serves as a useful resource.

Job Shadowing Inspires

Add comment March 19th, 2008

Yesterday, a number of Rockford area high school students job shadowed with companies around the area to get first-hand experience in what it takes to get the job of your dreams. By being exposed to all the facets of some of our top local companies, students are realizing all the different kinds of jobs available. Many are discovering new fields that they never knew existed, but strike their fancy.

Schools are always looking for companies to host for job shadows. Care to be one of them? Contact JA.

Further amazed by our future

Add comment March 12th, 2008

Today I had the opportunity to work with some high school students at Orton Keyes on a business simulation program called JA Titan. Over the last couple of months, they have been learning about segments of running a business all culminating to today’s final competition. $100 was on the line for the winning team.

It was amazing to watch these kids really get into the ideas behind running a business. Everything from R&D to Marketing to Production Costs. They really studied their reports backwards and forwards and was happy to give away that money.

We have some amazing minds in Rockford.

Welcome to the “Preparing Our Future” Blog

Add comment March 10th, 2008

Welcome to the “Preparing Our Future” Blog. Here we will look at issues that affect the ways we are inspiring and preparing young people to reach the future of their dreams. Every day, people talk about whether the next generation is ready to become the leaders of our community. I say that there is no question that they are.