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The Quantum Foundation
The Quantum Foundation awarded Junior Achievement of the
Palm Beaches Inc, a three-year grant totaling $248,000 to
develop and expand the BASE program in Palm Beach County!
The Quantum Foundation has as its mission "to advance health,
education and community betterment for the residents of
Palm Beach County". In cooperation with the Quantum Foundation
3 year goals were set for BASE and they were:
40 classes and 1120 students in 2000/01
60 classes and 1680 students in 2001/02
80 classes and 2240 students in 2002/03
The Concept
Young people will never stop dreaming about becoming the
next sports or entertainment superstar. Statistics show,
however, that only a handful of young people actually become
professional athletes, and an equally small percentage go
on to enjoy success in the entertainment world.
Junior Achievement developed its Building Achievement
through Sports and Entertainment (JA BASE) program because
various polls show a significant number of young people
believe they will achieve superstar status. These types
of unrealistic expectations, combined with a lack of preparedness
for real-world opportunities, can ultimately set young people
up for failure when they leave school and enter the world
of work.
JA BASE is aimed at 7-12 graders, and taps into a young
person's enthusiasm for sports and entertainment to engage
their attention. JA BASE students will learn about career
possibilities in the back stages and front offices of the
entertainment and sports industries while they learn about
economics, free enterprise and entrepreneurship. The curriculum
is published in two editions: one for entertainment and
one for sports. Volunteers with a background in sports and
entertainment work in partnership with classroom teachers
to teach the program. Eight instructional activities in
each edition teach young people about the economy and help
students make the connection between the classroom and real
life.
Achieving Success
To help establish the program, a BASE committee was formed
with 20 members. The committee membership consists of local
leaders in the education, sports, television, radio, film
production and concert venue fields. This committee has
been able to provide invaluable direction to achieving success
in the first year resulting in exceeding the year 1 goal
with 57 classes and 1351 students being served in the 2000/01
school year. Schools involved in the pilot year included
Bear lakes Middle, Okeheelee Middle, the Safe Schools Project,
Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Palm Beach Gardens High, WT
Dwyer High and Jupiter High.
Program Highlights
A unique aspect of the BASE program is that the students
have an option to undertake the planning and implementation
of a project or event. This has resulted in some wonderful
experiences for local students. Some highlights include:
Putting on a Baseball Game at Roger Dean Stadium
Due to the considerable help of the staff at Roger Dean
stadium the 9th Grade Recreation Magnet class at Palm Beach
Gardens High School undertook the promotion and implementation
of a High School Baseball and Jupiter Hammerhead double-header
at Roger Dean Stadium. Students sold tickets, announced
the game, operated the scoreboard and generally shadowed
the stadium staff.
"The Exhibition that BASE Built"
Students from WT Dwyer High School worked in their BASE
program with Melissa Sullivan, Associate Curator for Education
for the Norton Museum of Art. The students learned about
the marketing and implementation of a an Art Exhibition
as well as creating and framing the art to be exhibited.
The Art created by the students was displayed within the
gallery for 6 weeks in April and May 2001.
Assisting with the Palm Beach County Youth Festival
Working with Staff from the Palm Beach County Sports Commission
students from Palm Beach Gardens High assisted the staff
in the preparation for the Youth Festival in June 2001.
Students wrote press releases, developed flyers and created
emergency plans for the event.
BASE Students Tour Local Facilities
BASE program volunteers lead their classes on tours of
several local facilities including WPBF TV channel 25 and
Mars Music Amphitheatre
THANK YOU
The 1351 students served by the BASE program in the 2000/01
school year would like to thank the Quantum Foundation for
making the delivery of the program possible.
If you would like to get involved in this exciting project
please contact us at (561) 242-9468 or info@juniorachievement.com
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