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Programs » Urban Initiative

JA Urban Initiative

The Urban Initiative Program will bring together community leaders from the African American and Hispanic communities to work in partnership with JA to bring economic education and financial literacy to at-risk, inner city youth in Western Massachusetts. The goal of the Urban Initiative is to provide youth with an opportunity to improve themselves, academically and personally by bringing together community volunteers to teach JA programs such as JA Dollars and $ense and the Company Program. JA programs are correlated to Massachusetts state frameworks, the MCAS and the Step Up Springfield Academic and Character traits, JA programs create the link between “learning and earning.”

To date an Urban Initiative Advisory Council has been formed and includes the President of the Massachusetts Latino Chamber of Commerce, representatives from The Urban League of Greater Springfield, the Martin Luther King Community Center, the Dunbar Community Center local churches and youth groups. The Advisory Council meets to determine where JA should market its programs and provides contacts and introductions.

Although during the 2005-06 school year, JA increased its impact on at-risk urban youth from over 1700 students to than 2410. Our goal is to reach more 3600 by the end of the 2006-07 school year.  In addition to the local community centers, JA is working with local youth groups to bring JA to their educational programs. The goals of the Urban Initiative are: