Volunteers give Junior Achievement Discovery Center experience two thumbs up Thursday. 360º Photo Sphere by We Get Around Chief Photographer Dan Smigrod.
We Get Around Chief Photographer Dan Smigrod had a blast volunteering at the Junior Achievement Chick-fil-A Discovery Center at the Georgia Dome Thursday.
The Discovery Center runs an adult-for-a-day day-long simulated city of Atlanta to inspire hundreds of Georgia students daily – 30,000 annually – by helping equip them with real-life personal and professional skills in a fun, interactive learning experience.
"I LOVED how the 5th grade students embraced their roles as CEO, CFO, CMO and Facilities Manager of the Chick-ifil-A restaurant within the Discovery Center's BizTown," says Smigrod. "From earning a paycheck, to preparing a bank deposit, to writing checks (and keeping a check registry) to running the cash register, it was terrific to see the students embrace entrepreneurship and financial literacy that will help inspire them in school and their role in the global economy."
Video: Get a glimpse of the Discovery Center to see how this space at the Georgia World Congress Center was transformed to a simulated city of Atlanta. JA BizTown and JA Finance Park provide a place where children can experience learning like never before.
"An aha moment for one student receiving a paycheck for the first time was learning the difference between gross and net pay when filling out his deposit slip for the first time," says Smigrod.
"A team building moment went from idea to implementation within seconds when the CFO, CMO and Facilities Manager immediately endorsed an employee discount proposed by the CEO," said Smigrod.
"The team arrived at a consensus of $1 instead of $2 for their Chick-fil-A lunch. Their idea, their decision and their implementation. How great is that!"
"Other students wrote bad checks for their meal. They either forgot to deposit their paycheck or over-spent their account which may have contributed to "our" restaurant in the Discovery Center not being able to payoff its bank loan," said Smigrod. "Real-world learning in a fun, multi-player simulation game."
"I am thankful that my friend and colleague – Accountants One President & CEO Dan Erling [and Junior Achievement Board member] – invited me to volunteer at this A+ fun, educational experience," says Smigrod. "It's a great experience for students, teachers, volunteers (and corporate sponsors) and it includes a Chick-fil-A® Sandwich."
[Editor's Note: The 360º photo spheres were shot using the We Get Around Bundle that includes the Ricoh Theta 1-click 360º 1-click camera and 6-ft. Manfrotto NanoPole Stand. We Get Around Chief Photographer Dan Smigrod (pictured in the white sweater in front of the Falcon's store) triggered the Ricoh Theta camera using the Theta iPhone app to remotely trigger the camera sitting the Manfrotto NanoPole Stand.]
Volunteers receive training at the Junior Achievement Discovery Center just prior to hundres of students arriving for the fun, experiential multi-player game simulation of the economy.360º photo sphere by We Get Around Chief Photographer Dan Smigrod.
Town Hall Meeting – Business leaders report their results to the student community. 360º photo sphere by We Get Around Chief Photographer Dan Smigrod.
About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to educating students in grades K-12 about entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs.
Our programs help prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace. Students put these lessons into action, and learn the value of contributing to their communities.
JA's unique approach allows volunteers from the community to deliver our curriculum while sharing their experiences with students. Embodying the heart of JA, our ... volunteers transform the key concepts of our lessons into a message that inspires and empowers students to believe in themslves, showing them they can make a difference in the world.
Junior Achievement of Georgia: BizTown - Matterport 3D Showcase by We Get Around Chief Photographer Dan Smigrod
Junior Achievement of Georgia: Finance Park - Matterport 3D Showcase by We Get Arounch Chief Photographer Dan Smigrod