Eastern Shore, MD — What if you could be the one person to truly make a difference in the future of our local children?
Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore (JAES) hopes to do just that at their 2nd annual JA Inspire event in February when they bring the entire 8th-grade population of Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset, Dorchester, Caroline, and Talbot Counties to the Ocean City Convention Center. That’s 3,000 8th-graders in one place for the day.
“JA Inspire is not a career fair,” said JAES Development Manager, Lisa Thornton. “It’s a career exploration event where kids can truly see hands-on, experiential displays from local businesses. The goal is for students to see what it’s really like to go into all these different careers. For example, what does a plumber really do, what does a nurse really do, what does that job look like day in and day out? Because, how can you truly choose a career, if you don’t know what that looks like?”
Many local students are not receiving career mentorship at home so JAES has made it their mission to expose all these students to the world of work that exists right here on the Eastern Shore. The timing of the event is perfect as it occurs right before the 8th-graders are picking their high school coursework. Then, if students want to pick a CTE program, they can do so; if they know their desired career requires strong geometry skills, they can pay careful attention during that class; it all helps make the student’s high school career more relevant and more fruitful.
JAES is looking for 125 businesses to attend this event, to show students about all of the high-wage, high-demand careers that exist right in their backyard. Local community colleges, universities, and apprenticeship programs will also be present to help students connect the dots on what skills and education they need for their future careers.
“You don’t have to go to college to be successful,” said JAES President, Jayme Hayes. “But you have to do something after high school. Our hope is that every student leaves this event with a game plan for their future.”
If you’re interested in attending this event, you can find out more on JAES’ website here: https://www.juniorachievement.org/web/ja-easternshore/ja-inspire
About Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore
Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating youth, grades K-12 both public and private, on financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Our hands-on, age-appropriate programs inspire youth to live within their means, prepare for the world of work and understand the free enterprise system. Our programs are brought to life by local business members from the community. We are an enhancement to what kids learn in school and a direct link to real-life applications, making school relevant and increasing students’ engagement in the classroom.
