Thanks to a local volunteer, Creston elementary school students are getting some insight on entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
Victoria Tilling completed her first series of classes at Adam Robertson Elementary School and will be delivering more sessions as a Junior Achievement volunteer, she said.
With a degree in accounting, Tilling said she has a passion for business and enjoys the opportunity of sharing it with students.
“I got involved when I was working on my accounting degree in Vancouver,” she said. “I needed to add a volunteer component to my work and got connected with Junior Achievement. After some training I started going to schools and delivering programs.”
As program co-ordinator for JA in Kootenay-Columbia, Meagan Noel said she is pleased to have Tilling as a volunteer.
"We believe in partnering with local community leaders like Victoria to help bring real-world experience into the classrooms,” Noel said. “Now that she is back home in Creston she wanted to make sure the programs were brought to the youth in her community. She is the first Junior Achievement volunteer in Creston and has been delivering Junior Achievement programs in the elementary classes.
“Creston's youth are fortunate to have Victoria's gift of volunteerism to teach them about business. With her background in accounting and passion for business education, Victoria is providing students with the knowledge and experience they need to understand economic development of their community and how business works. We thank Victoria for her dedication and commitment to her community's youth."
JA British Columbia (JABC) is a member of JA Canada and part of JA Worldwide (JA), the world’s largest not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating young people about business. Since 1955, British Columbia schools have relied on JA to inspire and prepare youth to succeed in an ever-changing global economy.
In 2016, over 38,000 BC students benefited from JABC programs delivered free of charge by volunteers from local business communities, who bring their real-life experience into the classroom. JABC programs focus on work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship, giving students the confidence and skills they need to become the next generation of business and community leaders. JA programs are now available throughout the Kootenay-Columbia Basin area thanks to the generous support of Columbia Basin Trust.