A Word from JA of Coastal SC President Chad Vail

The recent volatility on Wall Street and in Wasington DC has us all wondering what has happened to our free market economy, the very system we espouse as the one most equitable and most empowering for the individual, and the one we most closely associate with democracy.  

 

What brought us to this point?  Though the answer is very complex, every expert will acknowledge the Great Depression was directly related to personal financial literacy, capacity, and responsibility.  We can, and must, teach the next generation to do better.

There has never been a time more critical for the mission of JA: educating and inspiring our young people to value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives.  It is critical that we teach America's youth how to earn, save, and budget--how to manage credit--how to control their personal finances rather than vice versa. The youth we educate today will be our employee, customer, small business owner, or political leader tomorrow, which makes what you do as volunteer, donor, or board member, more important than ever.