 Aloha, and welcome to Business in Hawaii with Reg Baker. We broadcast live every Thursday at 2 o'clock from 2 to 2.30 in the Pioneer Plaza in beautiful downtown Hololulu. We got a great technical staff here with Think Tech Hawaii. You can catch all of our programming on ThinkTechHawaii.com and even live. And we have a call in number, which is 415-871-2474. Today we have a great story about one of the better nonprofit organizations in the entire state of Hawaii. It's Junior Achievement of Hawaii. We've got a new CEO that just took over in February, and then her program manager, director, that actually has gone to Washington D.C. for the company program two years in a row. So I want to welcome both Erin and Dell to the show today. Well, thank you for having us. All right. Well, Dell, good to see you. You've been on here before. Yes, I have. I'm very happy to be back. Thank you. Very good. It's good to have you. And then this is your first time. It's my first time. All right. And you have been kind of the captain of the ship here now since February, right? Right. I started off as program manager, and I took over, like you said, in February and trying to look at the overall organization and make sure that we're doing our mission, doing it correctly, and getting the financial literacy work readiness, entrepreneurship over to our KQ. And this is a statewide program, right? It is a statewide program. We are on almost every single island. We have district offices in Hilo. We have district offices on Kaua'i. Our mainstay is here on Oahu. And while we don't have a district office on the Anamali, we do have classes that are operating there. Right. So I'm going to assume, and full disclosure, I am the immediate past chair, junior chief and a boy. So I have some knowledge and background on the programs and what they do. And I know that Maui is certainly an area that you want to get focused on at some point. Yes. It's all a matter of timing. Exactly. And we are actively looking at Maui because of all the different things that are happening there that really the KQ need a lot more of the financial literacy, the work readiness. There's been a lot of changes from the plantations and moving into the hospitality. So that is some place that we're honing in on and trying to see how we can best do it. Right. And some of the teachings that take place within the classroom with the kids and this speaks to the company program as well. These are skills that don't necessarily have to be business related. These can be life related. These are things that they're going to learn and use for the rest of their life, right? Correct. So a lot of times what we try to do is we have three pillars for junior achievement of Maui. The first one would be helping kids understand and manage their money. So that's on a day to day basis on a personal level. Secondarily, we try to teach them the soft skills. And those soft skills are so important in this day and age only because things change so fast. You have social media, everything is just the jobs are changing right under their feet. And without the soft skills, it's really hard for them to communicate, to adapt and to even think about what their own social branding is. Lastly, and it would be Dell's area of expertise, is the entrepreneurship. Now that then goes back to once you're an entrepreneur, can you manage your money? And do you have the soft skills to manage your employees? Right. Exactly. And there's a lot of skills related to all of this. Having a business is not as simple as everybody seems to think it is. No, it's not. And I think we all know I started off with my own business, small business at that and it takes a lot of energy and without the proper training as Dell does on the entrepreneurial pillar, it's difficult. People step in it and how many business failures do we have in Hawaii and how can we minimize that especially for our kids? And we've talked a little bit about the entrepreneurial track and I think a lot of people call it the company program and why don't you tell us. Now we didn't have it there for a while but you brought it back. Well actually so the company program was pretty much what JA did at its beginnings. JA started in 1919 nationally and originally it was just what's known as now the company program. So it was teaching students how to run and operate a business. So now that we're in the 21st century and we're getting more modern, more relevant for students, we've revamped the company program where JA-USA has and it's now made, there's a learning platform that's online. It's a lot easier to use for students and it's just a lot more relevant. So students can actually get behind it and relate to it as opposed to how they may have done in the past. So with this new rebranding of the company program we did bring it back to the island of Oahu maybe two years ago and we've been in schools for the past couple years at Farrington and at Kaiser High School and we're actually scheduled to start a couple more schools and we even started an after school program. So we're just really just kind of growing kind of steadily but really exponentially. Let's go ahead and I stand corrected. You made the point that Hilo has actually had this company program for many, many years and quite successful at it and we needed to have something like that and so we kind of used that model a little bit in a sense to bring it and offer it in Oahu but then also to I guess bring it up to the current digital world. Correct. That's exactly what they did and it's been really, really amazing because through this program we are actually able to engage students and kind of once again reach them on their level by doing kind of events and things that are more interesting to them. So for example we do a model tank where in order for the students to get funding for their projects they need to pitch for funding so they have to come up with an entire presentation about what they need the money for and how they're going to use it and how they're going to run their business. So it gets them really thinking about it really consciously before they even get the money to run and start a real business. Well let's take this back in a sense to the beginning for a second and for people who don't really understand what the company program is. It's not a bunch of kids coming together and getting some money and selling a product. I mean that's kind of at a very high level what they do but it's actually a very structured process that the participants that the kids in the schools actually have job duties, they have responsibilities, they've got to design, I mean why don't you spend a few minutes and explain that whole process. That's absolutely correct. So Junior Achievement tries to make it very, very easy for our volunteers because once again our volunteer driven organization. So we couldn't do this without mentors who come and oversee the students working on these projects and running these businesses. So we make it easy for them by having a really like laid out curriculum where it starts with like ignite your entrepreneurial spirit. Look around you and do you have the skills and what it takes to be an entrepreneur and it actually turns out that everybody does. Everybody has some skill that will make them a good entrepreneur and what their role and their strengths would be. And then it's fill and need. So what kind of irritations do we have in our daily lives that people would pay money to solve, you know something like that. And then it's that the venture. So let's figure out. That defines the product. Right, exactly. If there's a need in there that they're willing to spend money on then we've got an idea for a product. Exactly. Once again one of my favorite company program, fill and need was a company from Kaiser High School called NITTIPS. Now they're students at Kaiser High School and they're This is a family show. Their daily rotation was they, you know they're the closest Sandy Beach. They go body boarding and they get shaping in an uncomfortable place. So they created a low-tech waterproof vinyl covering for that area which came in colors and sizes. And that sold very well. It did. But it's also the main thing about that was that they came up with something new. It was innovative and they filled the need. Right. And there's been a lot of different products as well. I mean I've seen fans and I've seen, you know, different types of product that the different schools can offer and actually put their logo on and it becomes a school type of event. Absolutely. So we also had a company called 8finity which when they were filling a need it was the, you know, the heat wave, the record heat stroke that was, you know, students were fainting in the classroom. They had to go to the hospital. So they had foam fans that would plug into your foam and it would cool you off while you're in class. And that's going to be a good temporary solution so we can put the air conditioners in there. Right. What is it? Like 300,000 a classroom now or something? Well, I guess something along that line. That's another project that we can get the students to come together and have a better solution for. But at the same time though, you know, the company program is but one arm of what Junior Achievement does. And so if I can take you back historically, Junior Achievement did start off like Delcitte in 1919 and it was strictly an after-school extracurricular program for high school students doing the company program. In the low level they would sell stocks. We always asked them what they built. I have people sketch it out, wine racks, doing all kinds of things back in the day. They have a finance, they have a sales and marketing, they have, you know, I guess different roles within the company, operations, you know, all the students get to play a role in putting this whole package together that becomes a company. Right. Exactly. So it's holistic in that sense. But then Junior Achievement nationally and in Hawaii we realize there's also areas now that children really need to expose to. Our Kiki need to understand their money. They also need to understand it. I mentioned earlier there's soft skills. So there's a lot of misconception that we're just the company program that we're after school but at the same time Del's program and our overall program are running parallel. So now we're in almost every school that requests it, K through 12 and it can be one of the programs that they wanted. And these programs are specifically designed for each class level. Exactly. And these are, they've been proven to be effective for what, 50 years? Exactly. In all previous classes. Right. I think an important point to make is that it's majority of it, a great 95% is activity based even at the younger levels to when they are in high school. So that means that when we have our volunteers coming in to deliver our programming that they're doing some talking but the most of it is like meant to engage the students. And that's the main purpose of it. And that's where the real learning comes in. Exactly. It is a hands on type of applications that they're actually learning by doing. And we've had a lot of feedback from educators that the children, they're tired of being lectured at. So if you have minimal lectures with just concepts and you come in and you do an experiential where they're doing hands on, they learn a lot better that way. And they retain it too, right? And they retain it and we're really good at it. You know, I had a elementary age student come to me and say, hmm, now I know my grandma, grandpa, mom and dad, they work so hard, they need to fill my needs and not my wants. And that's one of the main things on the elementary level. On the high school level, I've had a high school student explain to me why he finally understood a high school degree was just not enough to survive in this day and age. Yep. That's enough to get you into college. Right. Exactly. And then from there you've got to learn a different set of skills that makes you employable. But what these junior achievement teachers though are also good skills to have. Not only to be employed but also to have a life going forward. How to do a budget, how to balance a checkbook, what is a bank account, how does it work, what's credit, credit cards. I mean these are all different components of these classes that can be taught from one through 12, right? And a big one that they really don't understand and the light bulb goes off is a difference between a debit card and a credit card. All they see is a parent swiping that card wherever they go these days. They don't write checks anymore. So when we explain to them that the debit card is tied into their checking account and the credit card is considered more of a quote unquote loan and you pay interest, the light bulb really goes off. Yeah. Sometimes it's hard, particularly the younger grades to, you know, connect the dots on what's going on when you go to that ATM machine or this wipe the card and McDonald's or whatever. It's good for them to get this orientation. Well, how many of us have had their children come up to us and saying, oh, Mike, can I have that toy? And you're like, no, you may not. Why not? Can't you just run the card? And I'm like, no. You can run it if you got the money if you don't have the money you better not run it. Hey, even as an adult, I try to run myself. Well, you know, we're going to have to take a short break. Sure. You know, we're going to come back but I want to talk a little bit. I mean, we've got a good feel for the programs and what's available and how J.A. can help the kids, you know, through various ways. But we need to find out who actually does this, who's actually out there offering this and working with the kids and how do we make this all work? So this is a Reg Baker business in Hawaii. I've got Junior Achievement of Hawaii. He's my guest today, Aaron and Dell. They're the two powerful influences in that organization and we're going to be taking a short break. We'll be right back. Hey, everybody. My name is David Chang and I'm the new host of a new show, The Art of Thinking Smart. I'm really excited to be able to share with you secrets on giving yourself the smart edge in life. We're going to have awesome guests and great mentors of mine from the political, military, business, nonprofit. You name it. So it's something for everybody. Aloha, everyone. I'm Maria Mera and I'm here to invite you to my bilingual show, Viva Hawaii on Tintex Hawaii every other Monday at 3 p.m. We are here to talk about news, issues and events, local and around the world. Join me. Aloha. Aloha. I'm Carl Campania. I hope you please visit us this summer. It's a wonderful summer. It's actually a cooler summer than we're used to. But I hope that you come back and visit us and watch our show, Education Movers, Shakers and Reformers here on Tintex Hawaii. It's at noon every Wednesday. See you then. Welcome back. This is Business in Hawaii with Reg Baker. And we're here today with Junior Achievement of Hawaii. And we've been talking about all the different programs, including the company program that they have and all the different classes that they offer through one through 12, grades one through 12. And now we're going to talk a little bit about how this all works. How does this actually happen and get delivered to the kids? So Erin, I would imagine there's a lot of reliance on volunteers? Yes. In fact, that's a really good question. Junior Achievement really has a program. Unlike most programs, the teachers aren't allowed to deliver a program. We have what we call our secret sauce. And our secret sauce is our volunteers. Our volunteers deliver the program to the students. Why? Because the volunteers that come in are from the business community. So they understand, you know, what it takes rather than a teacher having to just read off a list of this is a business. This is marketing. This is sales. So we bring in people that have all of those different skills. And that is our secret sauce. So they can really speak from a platform of having that experience and knowledge and be able to answer those questions that will be popping up? Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think it has a very big effect on the company program when you talk about bringing in mentors. We call them mentors on the company program that really mentor these children through starting a business, finding out whether or not their material of leadership material, finance, supply chain, and then mentoring them through how do they all come together, have a final product, and sell it. And what's interesting is sometimes you see the kids that have an idea of maybe where they have a strength and they go in and they try to do it and they go maybe not so much. Over here is better. Absolutely. And so they learn a little bit about maybe what direction they want to take. And I think, Del, you can explain a little bit more about that. Yeah. You have no idea how many students don't know that they have leadership skills until they're actually given the opportunity to be a leader and they know what it's like to be a leader. For a lot of our, so like we said, we can't deliver our programs without our volunteers, without our mentors. And this is true for K through 12. We really rely on subject matter expertise that these volunteers bring into the classroom. We can't expect our teachers to be able to teach finance, marketing, and all these other things that we have and unless we get people from the community who want to connect with their schools because that's what's going to make our schools better when we get people from the community to come into our schools and just share their monologue. So how do we do that? How do we get people from the community to come in and I guess go through a little bit of a training program to learn how to do these classes in the classroom or do the company program? How does that work? We do outreach for volunteers. A lot of our board members are with financial institutions. So financial institutions are huge. They have their, what they call their tax benefit to do it in Title I schools, which is 51 percent or more of the students are on free or reduced lunch. We also have just regular entrepreneurs coming in that are willing to give up their time. We provide them the kit, which is all the materials they need, a volunteer guide. And we always say if you can read, you can take this volunteer guide and you can teach this class. At the same time, some of them have a little bit of trepidation. So our other program manager, Janelle, who's not here, offers them training and we also give them classroom management tips, expectations, as well as having the teacher there in the classroom the entire time. So they're not just told to go out and show up somewhere and teach a class. They actually have a little bit of training, orientation. They're given the materials. They get comfortable with it and then they go. Absolutely. Absolutely. And a lot of times their repeat volunteers, they train, they're down. They bring somebody else and then they train. So the more experienced person who's done this for a while will also kind of mentor and coach the newbies. Right. And I believe it's similar for your company program, correct? Yeah, absolutely. So we've been lucky enough to have the companies like First Hawaiian Bank who actually created a program within their leadership programs to do the company program. So I know that sounds kind of convoluted but we're confusing. But what it is is that those that have participated in the company program are mentored. They bring somebody else the next year. And then maybe the next year, if they don't want to participate, they don't. But they've already brought somebody in who's done it before. So that's providing a lot of continuity and a great relationship with Farrington High School for them. Right. Now, dude, yeah. And I know I'll digress here for a second but it's a really neat story. A couple years ago, Farrington had a company program that did very well. Yes. And can you just share that story briefly? Well, it was a really, really great for us because we had just brought back the company program on the island of Oahu and we were running the blended learning. So to have two students from Farrington who had never been to Washington, D.C. or the East Coast or the mainland for that fact. They never left the island. Never left the island. Right. So how many kids? We're talking about four or five kids. We took two from Farrington that year because it was our first go round. But they did amazing. But there was a group of more than two that was involved in their program. Oh, yes. But two were selected to go to Washington. Right. And we allowed them to self-select. Correct. So actually each company program is run as a class where the class is a company and they have their different departments and it's very much real, like a real company. So they have to know how to work together. They have to know how to motivate their employees. And that's valuable just by itself. Exactly. Is how to work with a team, how to lead a team, how to motivate people, how to make a long and accomplished objective. Exactly. Right. And so these two students, they were part of the leadership team and they represented their company in Washington, D.C. at the National Student Leadership Summit. And... So they went all the way to D.C. That's right. To compete. And to compete in the program and how much did this cost them? It was free for them. That's what I was looking for. All right. So this is at no cost to the students. All of our programs actually are to the student, the teacher, the school. So what we do is, as an organization, we provide all of the materials, the staff, of course the volunteers are volunteers. In order to, you know, afford all of that, we fundraise. We rely on a lot of contributions, a lot of grants, a lot of special event revenue income. And without that, we would not be able to serve as many students as we serve. So there are volunteers make contributions. And there's also a mechanism to make contributions through, you know, online. So there's a variety of ways. I mean, and if I recall, there's something about a golf outing or something. Oh, our golf tournament. Yes. Thank you, Reg. So the Junior Achievement Golf Tournament, and most of this will go to benefit the company program because we are, we just do so much and, you know, offer the students the things that we do offer them, which are these amazing opportunities is, you know, we're going to fundraise with the golf tournament. So September 29th, Hawaii Prince Golf Course. What date was that? September 29th at the Hawaii Prince Golf Course. And please see our website or email me. And what is the website? www.jhawaii.org. Okay. And so there's a way to sign up for the golf outing or at least to find out more information and get a phone number if they needed it. Absolutely. Good. So fundraising, it's all this is available, all these courses and these company programs and if we're fortunate enough to send somebody to D.C., they get to go and it's really no cost to the students or the parents. Right. Now, just to finish the story, they went to D.C., they presented, they did well and they met some interesting people while they were there, right? They received offers of internships. Senator yeah, Senator Brian Schatz offered them an internship in D.C. With caveats. We have to go to college. They have to go to college, right? So, but overall for them, they keep writing us letters saying about how much they've grown, how much they've learned and how they plan on using these connections that they've made toward, you know, their future life. And the confidence that this builds, you know, we were able to see some students in D.C. that had never been off the island before to go to Washington, Washington D.C., the nation's capital, compete with all these students from around the country and placed very well in the results. Actually, Dell is being, she's not really telling the true story and I'm the complete story. I'm actually writing here. There are only 15 teams nationwide that are chosen and approximately 90-plus apply every year. So two years in a row, the two years that company program has been in existence. We've had a presence there. So each year, out of 90-plus teams, they pick Hoy. You know, and that's a story that we need to really share because we can compete. We got some bright cakey here. We got some kids that competed at the national level and nobody needs to think otherwise. Exactly. And we've proven it two years in a row. Exactly. We've had such great support in D.C. from our congressional, we've had senators, Hirono, and Schatz, as well as former late congressman, Mark Tokai, such support to them at the Expo. And the other thing that I had the honor of doing was I looked at pictures just by happenstance of these two teams before D.C. and at the end of D.C. And the change in them was so great. It felt like I was looking at two different teams of students that had no relation to each other other than they had the same face. You know, their confidence, the way they carried themselves, their ability to converse, and nonetheless, each year when our students come back, I get an email from National and they always tell us what a joy the Hawai'i students were and the aloha that they spread amongst the other teams was just contagious. See, that's the kind of can-do story we need to really get out there to everybody. Exactly. You know, that's great. And, Del, to your credit, you started this two years ago and you're going to be doing it for what, the next 10, 15 years? Yes. You heard that here. He put her on the line. Thanks for not asking me that question. And I think it's also worth mentioning that last year's, this past year's team was from Kaiser High School and they placed very well again and they didn't, but they didn't win, but they came back, they called me from D.C. and they said, you know, we just had such a great experience that we are going to come back and we are going to, we're going to put our own program together, we're going to come back and we really want to win. So I'm like, oh, that's like really amazing. Very good. You know, and I wish we had more time to continue the conversation at the end of the show. Oh, thank you for having us. Oh, it was great. I love having these stories. These are great, can do positive stories. And you know, what's really exciting is that, you know, we're doing something that really helps not only the kids but the community at large because a lot of this knowledge and this confidence goes back and they bring it to their families and their neighborhoods and it's, I think it's just a great process and congratulations to both of you for a great job. Thank you. I'm George Baker, business in Hawaii. We broadcast live every Thursday at 2 o'clock. We focus on positive stories in Hawaii and as you just heard, there's many of them. So hope to see you next week. Until then, aloha.