Junior Achievement of North Florida Celebrates National Economic Education Month with Financial Literacy Initiatives

October marks National Economic Education Month, and Junior Achievement of North Florida (JANFL) is taking the lead in empowering local students with the knowledge and skills to succeed in a rapidly changing economy. This fall, nearly 900 students from 16 high schools will participate in JA's Take Stock in Your Future curriculum, a program designed to provide hands-on experience with stock market simulations, fostering a deep understanding of business economics, financial literacy, and investing.

The culmination of this program will be the highly anticipated 3^rd Annual JA Stock Market Challenge, held on December 11th, 2024, at the Gallagher Suites of EverBank Stadium. Here, top-performing teams from each participating school will come together to compete in a live simulation, mimicking a real-life trading floor. Students will make critical decisions to buy, sell, and trade stocks, gaining firsthand insight into how current events can impact stock market performance and success.

"The Stock Market Challenge is a unique way to bring business economics to life," says Shannon Italia, President of Junior Achievement of North Florida. "As students work in teams and make investment decisions, they begin to understand how every action they take impacts a company and their own future. It's an exciting and immersive way to learn about finances, and we’re very excited to offer this opportunity to young people across our region."

The teams will each have a sum of $1 million to trade and will have a pseudo-60-day period in which to trade with each day lasting 60 seconds. They will alert volunteer traders who will complete their transactions. Following the trading period, the portfolios will be tallied, and the winners announced.

The schools participating include Jean Ribault High School, William Raines High School, PACE Center for Girls, KIPP Bold City High School, Baldwin Middle-Senior High School, Paxon School for Advanced Studies, Riverside High School, Englewood High School, Westside High School, Fletcher High School, First Coast High School, Samuel Wolfson School, Matanzas High School, Terry Parker High School, Joshua Christian Academy, and Lone Star High School. EverBank is the title sponsor of the JA Stock Market Challenge and Publix Supermarket Charities is the presenting sponsor.