JA Finance Park (Wilson Middle School)

JA Finance Park® Mobile is a 3-4-hour immersive experience for middle school students. During the simulation, students will be assigned a hypothetical life scenario, including a career, spouse, children, and pets. Throughout the simulation, they will ‘research’ different budget categories through a series of volunteer-led group discussions and activities, and will create a budget based on their household income and needs. Then, they will shop through their budget to see how their ideal finances measure up to real world costs. Volunteers support small groups of students (4-7) as they create, edit, and shop through their budgets. All discussion and activity materials are provided, and volunteers can share their real world experiences to help students understand different financial commitments they will have as they grow up. Volunteer orientation is provided morning of the simulation, and no previous expertise is required.