From the People's Daily app.
And this is Story in the Story.
JA, short for Junior Achievement, claims to be the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to educating students about work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.
Catering to China's rapid economic development, JA China was established in 1993.
Committed to inspiring young Chinese people and preparing them to face the social challenges ahead, JA China cooperates with educational institutions and business entities to deliver innovative business and economics programs in schools ranging from elementary schools to universities.
One program, known as “Our City,” was launched in 2008 and has expanded to 25 cities. To date, over 450,000 primary school students and 10,000 teachers throughout China have participated.
"It is not only about learning business, but also a process during which students can build up their mindset," said Wu Qijun, senior director of JA China, and added, "They can learn how to make decisions and become independent and tough against challenges."
Today’s Story in the Story looks at how non-traditional education methods are applied at schools across the country in efforts to provide younger generations with a better understanding of the modern world.
Team members of Mur Mur from Xi'an Gaoxin No.1 Middle School. (Photo: Global Times)
A large crowd surrounds the booth of Beijing No. 171 High School at China World Mall, which is selling a self-developed product-a cleansing spray for sneakers-at an indoor fair organized by the nonprofit Junior Achievement China.
Female high schooler Liu Yiyang, 16, who's standing at the booth, holds a bottle and a white sneaker with stains on it.
She sprays the cleanser onto the stained shoe and explains. "Just spray, and wipe-two simple moves and your sneakers are as clean as new."
Liu is the research and development manager of MudEx, a company formed by four high school students.
The students developed the product in a laboratory after days and nights of trial and error and finished third at a contest, which was part of a public education week, held to celebrate JA's 100th anniversary.
Students from 10 high schools in Beijing participated in the event.
The company program created by JA China, using advanced educational concepts and global resources, aims to help juniors get a better understanding of business and financial concepts before they enter adult life.
According to the organizers, some 4,330 volunteer instructors took part in the program in the past year, mentoring about 214,000 students.
Such courses have been run for students ranging from elementary school age to college and are taught by volunteer educators from corporations representing various professions, such as finance and business law.
JA Social Innovation Relay first prize winner Clotho at the roadshow Photos: Courtesy of JA and Chen Shasha. (Photo: Global Times)
According to Qiu, a volunteer instructor, they teach students essential marketing, economics, and financial knowledge, and assist the students in running a simulated company, besides teaching them about team building, market research, and sales techniques.
Before the fair, participants gave PowerPoint presentations to a panel of judges, who then attended the fair to interact with the students. Shoppers at the China World Mall were also invited to participate as ordinary consumers.
Meanwhile, “Student Company” is a program designed for freshmen and sophomores.
Guided by volunteers from business entities, students start up their own "companies" and learn about business operations, including human resources, manufacturing, marketing as well as issuing stocks.
According to Wu Qijun, “Student Company,” one of the most influential JA programs, aims to prepare youth for business in an early stage by educating them on economics through hands-on experience.
Members of the High School Affiliated to Fudan University said that the experience made them better at interpersonal communication and persistence. Their company was voted as the most popular company by public juries. "We didn't give up."
Wu contends that high school is a critical period when values are developed. She said that, with the involvement of volunteers from China's business world, students can explore their interests and get a basic idea about career development.
The product designer of Mur Mur from Xi'an Gaoxin No.1 Middle School said that the program helped her find out her interests. "I enjoy drawing and designing, so I would like to do something about design in the future."
Wu admitted that the program has raised concerns among parents and learning institutions who believe it distracts students from school. "But now more and more parents and schools are becoming open-minded. They want kids to grow and develop comprehensively."
As for financial literacy, Wu said that they want to help kids learn the value of money.
"Money or capital is an objective existence which the kids actually know about since they are very young. Behind this, it is about moral and value education," Wu said.
Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Lance Crayon, Brian Lowe, Paris Yelu Xu. Music by: bensound.com. Text from Global Times and China Daily.)