Frequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked Questions
What is Junior Achievement's mission?
To strive to ensure that every child in Mississippi has a fundamental understanding of the free enterprise system. To accomplish this, our efforts are focused on educating and inspiring all young people, grades K-12, to:
Junior Achievement does this so students can improve the quality of their lives.
How does JA accomplish its mission?
Volunteers are the core of JA's success! Whether at work, school, or home-based, volunteers deliver JA's hands-on activities to students directly in the classroom. The volunteers are role models to the students and they individualize JA's easy-to-follow lesson plans with their unique work and life experiences.
How can JA afford to provide its programs to the schools?
JA is a not-for-profit organization that raises funds from corporations, foundations, organizations, individuals and fundraising events.....to underwrite the expense of our program materials, cost of recruiting and training volunteers and teachers, and related expenses.
Why should I volunteer through Junior Achievement?
We all benefit from children that grow up to be capable, educated citizens that will be become active community members, responsible employees and future leaders. Our young people need--and deserve--to find out about new career opportunities, how to be good citizens, how education topics are relevant to life after their school years...our kids should be given more choices and every opportunity to enjoy successful lives!
If you want to make a difference in a child's life, if you want to affect the future in a positive way...become involved with Junior Achievement.
What are desirable traits for a volunteer?
How much time will it take? 
The time commitment is very small compared to the large impact you will make. Time in classroom is:
Elementary School - One hour a week for five weeks
Middle School - One hour a week for eight weeks
High School - One hour a week for ten weeks
But....if you find your experience as rewarding and fun as many volunteers do, you might be allowed to teach more than one class a semester (back-to-back is normally most convenient).....and maybe even both semesters of the school year.....so ask real nice!
Do I have to know how to teach?
No! Junior Achievement makes it easy by providing training, prepared activities and all of the classroom materials. You receive your own Consultant's Guide, along with student workbooks, certificates of achievement, and interactive presentation materials. Plus, the Junior Achievement staff is ready to answer your questions and help ensure your success. You bring your "real world" experience.....you do not need teaching experience to be a Junior Achievement volunteer, just the enthusiasm to try to make a difference in the lives of young people.
Am I alone in the classroom?
No, JA is a teaching partnership. The teacher should never leave the room unless there is an emergency, or you and the teacher have discussed this in advance. The JA volunteer presents each topic and activity, then summarizes the results. The teacher assists by ensuring classroom discipline, offering insights on the class, determining breakout groups, and follows up on the concepts presented by the JA volunteer in between visits. If the partnership needs improving, please discuss these issues with your teacher. If you need more assistance, please contact the JA staff at 601-948-3997, or you can reach Cynthia at cynthia@ja-mississippi.org.
Who volunteers for Junior Achievement?
Junior Achievement volunteers come from diverse age groups, backgrounds, and occupations. Business professionals, senior citizens, retirees, parents, and college students all take time out of their busy schedules to teach kids how business works. Diverse experiences and perspectives are an asset in the classroom. When volunteers draw upon their own personal experiences, they make theory relevant to young people, they bring credibility to the information - and new perspectives into the classroom.
Ready to participate? Just click on Want to Volunteer? to go to a request form, fill out the form, click and submit it to us, and and we'll be happy to respond and let you know how YOU can help make a difference in the life of a child.
