Jr. Achievement fosters business skills in young people

It has often been said that the most important quality needed to compete in the global economy is an entrepreneurial spirit. And while Belizeans are no strangers to hustling for a living, most of us are not necessarily born with all the tools to create and sustain successful business ventures. That’s why one private sector group is making an early start.

Kendra Griffith, Reporting
These standard three students at St. John Vianney are learning all about the world of commerce as participants in an international programme called Junior Achievement.

Brenda Serano, National Coordinator, Junior Achievement
“Junior Achievement Belize is a business education programme that educates and inspires young people to value free enterprise, business, and economics; to improve the quality of their lives by understanding the relevance of education to the workplace; being workforce ready; and preparing them for life long learning.”

The initiative originated in the United States in 1919 and found its way to Belize in 1991. There are currently over twenty-five primary and high schools participating throughout the country. Brenda Serano is the national coordinator.

Brenda Serano
“Since 2003, we have reached over four thousand student participants and we have trained over six hundred teachers and businesspersons to get them interested in volunteering with teachers in a partnership in running the programme in a classroom setting.”

The programme is either integrated into the school’s core curriculum or is run as a club or class by itself. The students learn different things, depending on their level and can start as early as standard one. Teacher Ruth Usher is talking to her standard three students about the world around them.

Ruth Usher, Teacher, St. John Vianney
“It teaches children about different members of the community, how the business works, how money moves in the community, and how the role that government plays with the different government workers. They learn how government workers are different from the other public workers.”

(Speaking to Class)
“Do you remember who pays the policeman and the fireman? Aaron.”

Aaron
“The government.”

Ruth Usher
“Very good. And where does the government get money from to pay these community workers?”

Student
“Tax.”

Ruth Usher
“From taxes, good.”

Kendra Griffith
“You see any future businessmen or women in your class?”

Ruth Usher
“Yes, from now they—some of them tell me, well miss I want to open my own business, I don’t want to work for anybody and stuff like that.”

There were also some budding entrepreneurs over at Canaan High School, but their focus was on…

Jared Bulwer, Teacher, Canaan High School
“The economics of staying in school. What they learn in this class is the importance of staying in school in regards to how it’s going to affect their future.”

Sheneil Flowers, Student, Canaan High School
“It shows you that you can achieve success more faster going through school. And by going through school you learn a lot and if you drop out of school you have to go through more process than how you [would] go through school.”

That message is further ingrained in the students through the game “Success.”

Students Playing Game
“You are always late for your job at the gas station. You are fired! Zero points. Remain at level two.”

“Congratulations, you stayed in school and earned your diploma. Ten points, move the high school graduate’s corner.”

Teacher Jared Bulwer says it’s a timely lesson for the high schoolers to learn.

Jared Bulwer
“What we find with a lot of students is that some of them come just because their parents send them. They don’t realise that they need to get an education so that they could have the skills necessary to operate in the job market in the future.”

“It helps them to set goals for their future so that they could take school seriously now and whatever sacrifices or problems that they might be facing now, they should try to overcome it so that they could end up being something in the future, be somebody.”

Sheneil Flowers
“I’ll make sure I finish high school and go through sixth form.”

Kendra Griffith
“What do you intend to be?”

Sheneil Flowers
“An accountant or a teacher.”

Luis Bonilla, Student, Canaan High School
“It tells us it’s better to stay in school.”

Kendra Griffith
“Do think that is true?”

Luis Bonilla
“Yeah.”

Kendra Griffith
“Why?”

Luis Bonilla
“Because you get more money.”

Kendra Griffith
“What do you plan to do when you’re finished with school?”

Luis Bonilla
“Do my own business.”

That entrepreneurial spirit was exactly what the Belize Business Bureau was looking for when it took over the Junior Achievement programme in 2003.

Brenda Serano
“We’re trying to foster the entrepreneurial spirit in our young people. For them to not only go into the workforce, but to create their own business, to equip them with the knowledge that they can open their own business and work for themselves, as well as sustaining the economic development of our country.”

This February, the bureau is celebrating Junior Achievement Month and they are using the opportunity to fundraise in support of the initiative.

Brenda Serano
“Business and schools can participate by having our drop in containers placed in prominent areas where the community at large can see that they are participating, and contribute any loose change or small change they might have to the programme. The funds raised through the effort will be used to offset the cost of programme materials, which we provide to the schools and to the students free of cost.”

And coming up with money shouldn’t be a problem, at least not in these schools. Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five.

According to national coordinator Brenda Serano, every year two students involved in the programme are chosen for an all-expense paid trip to the United States to attend the Junior Achievement international conference. Serano also noted that the programme is in dire need of volunteers. Interested persons can call the Belize Business Bureau at 223-2480.