May 15th, 2008 11:16am
Larry Messing
Tuesday I spent some time at the Go Global or Get Left Behind conference at NIU-Rockford Center. Along with me I brought two high school students from Auburn and Guilford who won this year’s Rockford in 20 essay competition.
After talking to them and listening to the conference, it made me realize how vital Rockford’s role is in the global market and how many of our youth are more prepared than we think to succeed in the global economy.
Do you think our youth are ready?
May 6th, 2008 03:09pm
Larry Messing
Recently, I have been hard at work preparing my son (and my wife and I) for his going off to college. As a junior, he is deep in the midst of taking the big step, although right now he thinks it is light-years away, which means I am doing much of the initial work.
As I began to register on a website which provides resources for students looking to enter college, I came across an interesting option you could sign up for:
“Receive information regarding college and scholarship-related products and services, such as student loans, test preparation, essay help, credit cards, and discount textbooks”
It made me think. Are credit cards considered as college or scholarship-related products or services? So does this mean that our high school junior and seniors are getting pushed for credit cards before they even enter the hallowed halls of their university?
First, a few tidbits of information:
-More than 48% obtained their first credit card prior to entering college
-By the Sophomore year of college, more than 55% of students possess one or more credit cards in their own name
-Students are more than three times as likely as adults to be at least 90 days delinquent on their credit card payments
I agree that a credit card can often be helpful for a college student looking for ways to purchase $200 biology text books, but we must provide them with the tools needed to use this credit wisely. Otherwise, textbooks and emergency food will be competing for socializing and “emergency” beer.
Teach your kids now. Let them know these skills before the big need and want decisions are in front of them. The first day after college is hard enough without a mountain of debt greeting you at the start.
May 6th, 2008 01:17pm
Larry Messing
I thought this was rather interesting:
More than half of all teens surveyed (54 percent) believe they are “extremely likely” or “very likely” to have their ideal job one day according to a Junior Achievement survey conducted by Harris Interactive, which polled teens nationwide. Such optimism among teens is relatively uniform across gender and age bands but is down significantly from a similar poll in 2000 conducted by Junior Achievement.
Achieving self-awareness of one’s noble purpose and vocational calling is a right of passage that, increasingly, teens look to their schools to help them develop. Where do they expect to learn the skills needed for their future careers? According to the survey, nearly half (47 percent) selected a traditional source—”classroom education.” Coming in a distant second was “on the job training” (24 percent).
“Results of this poll demonstrate how critical it is to get work-readiness programs into our schools,” said Sean C. Rush, president and chief executive officer of JA Worldwide. “Junior Achievement helps prepare students for success in a global economy and bridges the gap between what they learn in school and what happens in the world of work.”
Junior Achievement has three work-readiness programs, which are invited into classrooms by educators and taught by business people and other volunteers from the local community. JA Careers with a Purposeâ„¢ helps teens answer the age-old question, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” In addition to providing students with information about specific career paths, program activities teach students the skills associated with understanding the world of work such as enhancing personal awareness of vocational interests, skills, and values; recognizing the importance of ethics in career and life decisions; and exploring careers in high-growth, in-demand industries such as healthcare.
With the help of a $250,000 grant from the HCA Foundation, Junior Achievement is reaching middle grades and high school students in their classrooms. “We’re inspiring students to align their skills and interests with a career calling,” said John Steele, Senior VP of Human Resources at HCA. “JA Careers with a Purpose can help our young people be successful in their work and in their lives. This is an investment in the future workforce.”
The survey was administered online in December 2007 by Harris Interactive on behalf of Junior Achievement and included responses from 626 teens, ages 13 to 18.
What do you think?
May 1st, 2008 02:20pm
Larry Messing
Our community must have a strong hiring pool in order to remain strong. Our youth must have the knowledge necessary to reach the future of their dreams.
Can you help solve both?
Whether you are a carpenter or chiropractor, fisherman or farmer, mayor or mechanic, each comes with required training which is integral to success.
Visit our website at http://rockford.ja.org and click on the “Share Your Job” link and tell us what it takes to be successful at your job! We are looking for ALL jobs so don’t be shy. We will share them here in the future.
April 28th, 2008 04:50pm
Larry Messing
Last Thursday, Junior Achievement held our Rockford Area Business Hall of Fame. It was a great opportunity to honor Jon Lundin and Dave Rydell for their many contributions to the community.
In particular, many attendees were blown away by the essays read by the winners of the Rockford in 20 contest. Students were able to let community leaders know where they saw Rockford in 20 years. A great opportunity to see that our youth are ready to be our future leaders and become future members of the Rockford Area Business Hall of Fame.
April 17th, 2008 04:36pm
Larry Messing
Starting soon, the Preparing our Future blog will occasionally feature individuals representing the wide variety of fields in the Rock River Valley region. We want to find out “What it Takes” to get a job like yours.
So many of our youth have great ideas of what they want to do as a career. Some just struggle to find the pathway to the future of their dreams. Maybe you can help. How did you do it?
We are looking for ALL careers. If you’d like to take part, email me at lmessing@jarrv.org.
April 15th, 2008 03:13pm
Larry Messing
In the last month or so, we have been preparing for April 24th’s Rockford Area Business Hall of Fame honoring Jon Lundin and Dave Rydell. As part of this, we are interviewing many of Rockford’s leaders who have come in contact with these men.
At the same time, we have been going through the judging process of this year’s Rockford in 20 essay contest, where we ask local youth “Where do you see Rockford in 20 years?”
Putting the two together, you can really see where the future leaders of Rockford are coming from. Some of these students are providing some of the most inspiring messages of where they see their hometown in 20 years.
There is no doubt, that many of these will be part of the Hall of Fame in the future.
March 31st, 2008 04:52pm
Mya Wilke
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.
March 27th, 2008 02:19pm
Mya Wilke
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
March 25th, 2008 10:53am
Mya Wilke
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.
Next Posts
Previous Posts
