1. MEDIA CONTACTS:
Sarah Briggs, Public Affairs Melissa D’Apolito
AT&T Ohio Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley
614-223-7641 330-539-5268
sarah.briggs@att.com jamvmelissa@onecom.com
YOUNGSTOWN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TEAM UP WITH
JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT & AT&T EMPLOYEES TO LEARN
SKILLS FOR FUTURE SUCCESS
AT&T Aspire Mentoring Academy Helps Address National Dropout Crisis
What: AT&T employees will team up with Junior Achievement and students from Youngstown’s
Chaney Campus and St. Joseph the Provider School to share academic and career skills
through a job shadow, part of AT&T’s Aspire Mentoring Academy. Employees are engaging in
their communities and are committed to providing one million hours of mentoring to students
at risk of dropping out of high school.
Building on the success of AT&T's job shadow program, employees and students team up for
a couple of hours during the regular business workday. Employees share life experiences and
career advice through project-based activities. Students are guided by employees and learn
how to problem-solve in a team setting. Employees also encourage students to take the
pledge not to text and drive through AT&T's It Can Wait movement. Finally, students learn
how to manage their own digital footprint.
Who: Approximately 75 students
AT&T employees
State Representative Bob Hagan
When: Friday, May 30, 2014
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Where: AT&T, 2933 Salt Springs Road, Youngstown
Background:
According to a March 19, 2012, report by Civic Enterprises, one in four students – more than 1
million each year – fails to graduate with their class.
On average, a high school dropout earns 25 percent less during the course of his or her
lifetime compared with a high school graduate and 57 percent less than a college graduate
with a bachelor's degree, according to “The College Payoff,” Georgetown University Center
on Education and Workforce [August 2011].
3. About Junior Achievement® (JA)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young
people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, Junior Achievement
provides in-school and after-school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work
readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, 126 individual area operations reach more
than four million students in the United States, with an additional 5.7 million students served by
operations in 122 other countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.
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