According to MENTOR National, young adults who have mentors are 50 percent less likely to skip school than their peers and 130 percent more likely to hold leadership positions later in life. Children who experience mentoring, especially those living below the poverty line, are introduced to opportunities for their life paths. For this reason, Integrated Project Management Company, Inc. (IPM) selected Junior Achievement for the Q4 Integrated Project Mercy charity.
Junior Achievement is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and mentoring young people on work readiness, financial health, entrepreneurship, sustainability, STEM, economics, and other topics through immersive and hands-on learning experiences.
Senior Consultant Sharon Walsh, who led IPM’s Project Mercy efforts for Q4, says, “Having worked with Junior Achievement in the past, I knew that affording IPM team members the opportunity to engage with JA would align with our company values. Mentoring is something that’s inherent to our organization. In partnership with JA, we were able to act as role models and as mentors to youth at JA locations across the country—the young people who will shape the future.”
New Jersey
IPM volunteers from the New Jersey office mentored students at Junior Achievement Finance Park in Edison, N.J. Students were provided tablets with fictional adult life situations and mentored through creating budgets, paying bills, using debit cards, and completing necessary shopping. At the end, mentors discussed what the students learned along the way about money management.
Boston
Members of the Boston office planned to volunteer with Junior Achievement of Greater Boston in January, but due to several canceled events, the group sent a donation to the charity to support its efforts.
Chicago
A team from the Chicago office participated in a “JA in a Day” event at Hendricks Community Academy in the Canaryville neighborhood of Chicago. IPMers taught students from kindergarten through fifth grade using Junior Achievement curriculum. One IPMer also participated in a virtual Junior Achievement career fair and appeared as a panelist to inform high school students about career path choices.
Los Angeles
Volunteers in Los Angeles supported the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), a global educational nonprofit that empowers youth in low-income communities by teaching them entrepreneurship principles.
IPMers judged the first round of the World Series of Innovation competition, which invites young people to solve some of the biggest challenges humanity faces today and advance UN Sustainable Development Goals. The team judged and provided comments on 180 entries from around the world.
Minneapolis
In Minneapolis, IPMers supported Breakthrough Twin Cities, a six-year college access program that supports underrepresented students in their academic journeys and life success. Programs begin in middle school with academic enrichment programs during the summer. In high school, students are supported while navigating schoolwork, college preparation, and other high school challenges.
The team shared their career journeys with aspiring college students as part of the Breakthrough Program. The IPM team paired with volunteers from other organizations and made presentations to 200 students during two sessions at a local school.
San Francisco
A team in San Francisco taught a Junior Achievement program called “It’s My Job” at Redwood Alternative High School in Redwood City, CA. They prepared and delivered eight one-hour classroom sessions through November and December. The students learned how to prepare for their first jobs and worked on their achievements, resumes, interview skills, and appropriate behavior in the workplace.
St. Louis
In St. Louis, several IPMers volunteered at Junior Achievement’s JA BizTown, supporting students from Blue Ridge Elementary in Columbia, MO. It was a fun-filled, educational day where the students were able to apply their learnings in a real-world simulation.
IPM employees lead and participate in quarterly philanthropy efforts through our Integrated Project Mercy program. Visit our careers page to learn more about joining the IPM family.
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