NSB Team Members Changing Lives of Maine Youth and Themselves with “Junior Achievement of Maine”
NORWAY—“The most enjoyable part is to see kids who think they can’t do something or be something because of their current situation light up and start to share their dreams or create bigger dreams for the future,” said Becky Palmer. “That is so rewarding to be part of.”
Becky is a Quality Control Team Lead in Loan Operations at Norway Savings Bank. She is also one of over 40 NSB team members who have participated in Junior Achievement of Maine (JA), an organization that matches business professionals with children and schools for lessons on financial literacy, work, and career readiness to inspire students and prepare them for success. Junior Achievement of Maine provides mentors with material and facilitator guides to assist in presenting to the students.
“The organization gives you the curriculum and tools necessary to make you feel comfortable and prepared,” said Lin Dehetre, Branch Manager of NSB in Auburn.
“Volunteering is as easy as completing a volunteer form and Junior Achievement matches you with a school nearby. It’s a truly rewarding experience. I so enjoy being in the community where I see the students and they share with their family that I came to the school. I have received tokens of appreciation with my favorite being handmade thank you cards.”
“My theme was called ‘JA Our City’ and covered how money flows,” said Becky, who worked with a third-grade class at HB Emery School in Limington. “How you make money, how you spend money, how you save money, how you access your money, and how all of those pieces go into and contribute to making a community or city flow.”
Amanda Drouin, Branch Manager at NSB’s Saco branch, has volunteered for multiple classes.
“I worked with JA to teach a ‘It’s My Job’ class at Thornton Academy in Saco,” she said. “I worked with high school students planning on entering the work force and together, we worked on important topics such as how to interview for a job, what to wear to an interview, and how to build a resume.”
While ‘It’s My Job’ was a three-day course, Amanda has also presented ‘JA in a Day’ to seventh graders at Biddeford Middle School.
“This class was centered around ‘Economics for Success.’ The session I taught was all about the many different jobs and careers there are to choose from, and we did an activity to help guide the students to what career they would like to strive for in the future and the next steps to get there.”
Down the road at Alfred Elementary School, Cooper Winslow, Branch Manager at NSB in Kennebunk, was busy working with fifth graders on ‘More than Money,’ which focused on basic math, personal finance, owning and operating your own business, and even global finance matters.
“The kids loved the games,” he said. “I felt that when they could apply what we were discussing and learning about to something that they could physically interact with they were more engaged and confident in a group setting. After the first session they began to apply their own thoughts and opinions on what we were learning. It turned into a totally interactive learning environment for everyone, rather than me lecturing about the importance of balancing a checkbook.”
Grades and classes usually participate in five sessions that run around an hour, allowing for more in-depth conversations and exploration of themes.
“Over the course of five days, we identified a variety of careers and people in a community and what the students aspire to be one day,” said Savannah Rioux, Consumer Loan Processor at NSB who worked with second graders at Guy E. Rowe Elementary in Norway. “We identified resources in a community like hospitals, banks, stores, post offices, police and fire departments, and how these resources help support the community we live in. The kids got to create a ‘When I Grow Up’ worksheet and describe what skills it would take to be in a career field and earn some fake money which they thought was really cool.”
Many local businesses have been happy to support the organization and its mission, including NSB, which has contributed over $10,000 in recent years. For the students, Junior Achievement of Maine ignites a spark of realizing the opportunities and realities of work and life in the 21st century. For the NSB team members shining the light on these important subjects, the takeaways and experience are equally fulfilling.
“They enjoy it, and so do I,” said Sarah Porter, Retail Talent Development Business Partner at NSB who also worked with classes at Rowe Elementary. “We are able to help them understand that there are more jobs and career paths that they haven’t considered. Some of them even mention that they would like to have their own business one day.”
“I really enjoyed seeing the kids’ smiling faces and their genuine excitement to have me be a part of their classroom as well as their excitement when we got to share cupcakes on the last day!” said Savannah.
“It makes you feel good walking out of the school building and feeling like you made a positive difference in a young person’s life,” said Amanda.
Research has shown that Junior Achievement “alumni” are more likely to one day earn a college degree and start a business as an adult. It can be a life-changing experience and for possible mentors worried that they wouldn’t be able to have an impact, don’t be.
“I remember being hesitant about the program initially – I didn’t take myself for much of a teacher – but it developed into more of a mentorship than anything,” said Cooper. “I was looking forward to each session and found it deeply gratifying to know the kids were connecting to each lesson and that they were truly taking something away each time.”
“The teacher told me that she has been on a list waiting for a volunteer for this area for four years,” said Becky. “There are many teachers waiting for volunteers to step up and come support their classrooms and children. It’s such an amazing experience. The students each made me a card when it ended. It’s amazing to see how we make such an impact on them. I see many of them in passing and they are quick to point me out to their parents and introduce me. I challenge everyone to step out of their comfort zone and give volunteering for JA a try.”
To learn more about Junior Achievement of Maine, including how to get involved, visit https://maine.ja.org/.
