Amador County – The Junior Achievement Company announced that the youth oriented program is re-starting in Sonora with new sponsors and new energy.

Larry Cope, director of economic development for the Tuolumne County Economic Development Authority is one of those sponsors, and issued a joint release with the new JA Company last week announcing the restart.

Cope said: “We’re looking forward to mentoring the youth in Tuolumne County on the ins and outs of business while showing them first-hand how a business person makes decisions and runs their company.”

Aaron Roy, chief operating officer of Sandvik, a local sponsor, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to sponsor Junior Achievement here. We hope that today’s teenagers will be inspired to become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.”

Cope said Junior Achievement’s programs focus on work-readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. The programs teach young people important skills to help them become economically empowered. JA students learn how to start and grow a business, how to successfully contribute in the workplace, and how to effectively manage the money they earn.

He said “Junior Achievement programs also help prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace.”

Cope said “students will put these lessons into action and learn the value of contributing to their communities.”

Junior Achievement is open to youths in grades 9-12, and age 14-18. They can sign up online and membership is free. The group seeks members who have a desire to learn, and will help them become economically empowered, which means they will “learn how a company runs from adults in your community that are in responsible positions in local companies.”

Beth Hartline, of Tuolumne EDA, in the release said participants will learn how products get to market, how business decisions are made, and how leaders deal with economic troubles, government regulations and other pressures.

Hartline said “you won’t learn these important lessons through boring lectures and presentations. You’ll form a company, decide on a product to manufacture or resell and work with your professional mentors on setting up bank accounts, setting up marketing programs, distribution channels and sales channels.”

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.