The Greenwood District Project

In honor of the many folks that lost their lives in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma (Black Wall Street), Mentor2Youth (M2Y) is launching the Greenwood District Project.  Our purpose is to cultivate purpose through service: The whole child, the whole community; lifelong learners.

One of Mentor2Youth’s Six Moves of Royalty is Stewardship. Stewardship is represented on the chess board by the Bishop. When one learns to steward their attitude, temple, time, talents, and treasures, then they are on the path of Royalty. With this focus on Stewardship, Jr. Achievement is helping our young folks at Holmes Elementary begin Raising their Royalty.

Life is a game of chess, not checkers!

Junior Achievement (inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy) is collaborating with Bank of America and Mentor2Youth to deliver some high impact in the Financial Literacy arena to Holmes Elementary. Together, this is how we “Raise Royalty”. Junior Achievement’s proven lessons in financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship, are shown to positively impact the lives of young people. These lessons align with national and state educational standards and are delivered to millions of students across the country with the help of education partners and volunteers from the local community. Research shows that JA Alumni are more likely to have a college degree, feel confident managing money, have career success, and have started a business as an adult.

It is generally difficult to fix bad decisions concerning finances – it can take several years to do so. Teaching young people about money at an early age will impart them with vital knowledge and skills that will assist them to make informed decisions when it comes to financial matters. JA in a Day is a high-impact way to deliver JA's lessons for every grade level all on the same day. "JA in a Day" is a unique opportunity as it offers volunteers a great opportunity to get involved with Junior Achievement without juggling schedule conflicts or long-term commitments. Mentor2Youth’s Greenwood District Project will take place on December 8, 2022 at Holmes Elementary from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm

The importance of financial literacy for our youth cannot be overemphasized. There’s nothing as dangerous as a financially illiterate youth. Someone who doesn’t have an idea of how to manage their finances can easily fall into various financial traps unknowingly. The lack of financial literacy can lead to a number of pitfalls, such as accumulating unsustainable debt burdens, either through poor spending decisions or a lack of long-term preparation. This, in turn, can lead to poor credit, bankruptcy, housing foreclosure, or other negative consequences. You have heard people saying that information is power. The same thing applies to financial matters. The more information you have about finances, the better-equipped you will be. On the other hand, a lack of proper knowledge and information about money is dangerous for any young person.

Why do we go to school to learn about science, math, history, and other subjects? The answer is to empower us in those respective areas. Similarly, education about money should be given the same priority as other disciplines. Young people need to be empowered about money and how it works. Statistics indicate that young people who never received proper education on finances end up as irresponsible adults, particularly in financial matters. They don’t know how to invest, they can’t save enough money to buy a home, and often have very poor credit scores. These behaviors are contrary to those of adults who were taught about money management while they were young. Such people are able to make informed financial decisions in their adulthood simply because they had a strong financial foundation in their youth. Often, young people involved in poor money habits such as gambling had no or poor backgrounds in financial literacy. They can be easily influenced by others to engage in other poor financial habits. A person with a proper financial background won’t be easily lured to participate in activities such as gambling and Ponzi schemes. Sometimes we are caught up in urgent situations that require large amounts of money. For a young person who is financially literate, it becomes a little easier to maneuver and come out of the situation compared to someone who is financially illiterate.

Mentor2Youth is proud to collaborate with Junior Achievement of Southeast Michigan, Bank of America, and Holmes Elementary School of the Ypsilanti Community Schools to present JA in a Day.

How Can You Help?

There are still ways that you can get involved. You can teach a full day, four Jr. Achievement lessons delivered to a classroom on December 8, 2022. Volunteers conduct the lessons in the assigned classrooms between the hours of 8:30 AM-1:30 PM.

Or you can do what we call an AM or PM volunteer teach. An AM teach would allow you to deliver two lessons to a classroom before noon. A PM Teach would allow you to deliver two lessons after 11 am.

Check with your employer, some employers will give you up to 16 hours per year to volunteer at a community event. Maybe this is your time to take a day off and give back to your community. We know the kids will be glad to see you and the teachers will appreciate your support, and Mentor2Youth will always be in your debt for this act of community collaboration.

To register to teach a class click the link below and let us know your preferred class time