Guest Service Tips: Friendly say hello with a smile, ask "did you find everything," give guests full attention, provide helpful and friendly service, and say thank you for visiting the market

Sponsor Spotlight: CoBiz ensures that all students can access AmeriTowne

Janet Redwine Get Involved, Young AmeriTowne 2 Comments

On a recent day in Young AmeriTowne, 10-year-old Ricardo* was having the time of his life.  You couldn’t walk past the Market without hearing him call out to customers, and he had a huge smile on his face as he helped customers pay for their products at the cash register.  Ricardo and his fellow classmates participated in this beloved program …

China, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and India flags shown from International Towne

Sponsor Spotlight: U.S. Bank Foundation provides real-world learning in International Towne for all students

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Nearly 11,000 young people experience International Towne, a hands-on lesson in global economics, every year.  This number includes more than 1,800 students who participate as part of the Send-a-School scholarship initiative, funded in part by proud supporter U.S. Bank Foundation. What makes this learning so powerful, particularly for low-income students, is that the lessons they are learning will help them in …

A Young AmeriTowne KeyBank teller holds a cash stack in his hands

Sponsor Spotlight: There’s nothing else like it, thanks to KeyBank

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“Have you ever done anything like this before?” This question was asked to a group of 5th graders from Slavens Elementary School as they patiently waited in line to make a deposit at KeyBank in Young AmeriTowne. All said they had waited in line before. A few said they had even been to a bank with their parents.  But only one student, Crystal*, …

The City of Lakewood Welcomes You to Young AmeriTowne

Sponsor Spotlight: City of Lakewood brings citizenship to life

Janet Redwine Get Involved, Programs, Young AmeriTowne Leave a Comment

Cities and towns are comprised of many different parts that work together to form a strong community. Young AmeriTowne participants in Belmar experience this concept first-hand, thanks to the long-time support of City of Lakewood, which is celebrating its 50thanniversary in 2019. Young AmeriTowne, a hands-on lesson in free enterprise, began in 1990.  By 2000, there was a 70-school wait list …

Children's Hospital Business Cards

Sponsor Spotlight: Children’s Hospital Colorado provides real career experience

Janet Redwine Get Involved, Young AmeriTowne Leave a Comment

In Young AmeriTowne, students get their first taste of what being an adult is like.  The Medical Center is no exception, and thanks to Children’s Hospital Colorado, students working in Young AmeriTowne Denver and AmeriTowne On the Road gain real-world experience in the medical field! Young AmeriTowne lessons begin in the classroom, where students work together in business teams to …

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Meet a Board Member: Charlie Maguire

Janet Redwine General, Get Involved Leave a Comment

Young Americans greatly benefits from the dedicated leaders on our three Boards of Directors overseeing Young Americans Bank and Young Americans Center for Financial Education. Today we’d like to introduce you to long-time board member Charles (Charlie) D. Maguire, Jr., Partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP. At Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, Charlie represents a wide range of companies in …

Do you know the difference between a debit and a credit card?  A surprising number of young adults don’t.

According to a 2016 study done by LendEdu , 43% of college students couldn’t explain at least one difference between a debit and credit card.  Although the survey was small, only 455 students, that’s still a high number.

Thanks to Worldpay , formerly Vantiv, students who participate in Young AmeriTowne or International Towne gain hands-on experience about the difference between debit and credit cards.  International Towne participants receive a credit card, which they can use to pay for goods and services in Towne.  Using credit is particularly convenient because students don’t have to exchange money when they shop in a foreign country.  In Young AmeriTowne, 5th graders use a debit card to make purchases, and the funds are automatically withdrawn from their checking account.

When I asked 10-year-old Rehoboth, an Accountant working in the AmeriTowne Snack Shop, about the difference between a debit and credit card, he responded right away.  “A credit card uses money from the bank, and you have to pay it back later,” he said.  “A debit card takes money from your checking account.”  Rehoboth added that four shoppers had already used their Worldpay debit card to purchase snacks.

Young Americans Center for Financial Education is grateful for partners like Worldpay that prepare young people to be financially responsible adults someday.  Maybe Rehoboth can teach those college students a thing or two!

Sponsor Spotlight: Worldpay teaches kids credit vs. debit

Janet Redwine General, Get Involved, International Towne, Young AmeriTowne Leave a Comment

Do you know the difference between a debit and a credit card?  A surprising number of young adults don’t. According to a 2016 study done by LendEdu, 43% of college students couldn’t explain at least one difference between a debit and credit card.  Although the survey was small, only 455 students, that’s still a high number. Thanks to Worldpay, formerly …

Bank Deposit in AT

Sponsor Spotlight: AmeriTowne a lot like being an adult, thanks to FirstBank

Janet Redwine Events, General, Get Involved, Young AmeriTowne Leave a Comment

Quinn is just 11 years old, but she has a lot of responsibility.  As the Vice President of FirstBank at Young AmeriTowne, Quinn has to make payments, ensure every shop pays off their business loan, and report on the business income.  It’s a lot like being an adult. This experience is possible through the generous support of community partners like …

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Why most young people are living on the financial edge and what you can do about it.

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What if you could give the chance at a life-time of financial self-sufficiency to a child for $40? Daniella is 20 and living on the financial edge in Denver. She did some right things: finished high school, works two jobs and helps her struggling family pay their rent. What she didn’t get was a financial education. She doesn’t use a …

Market Prices on White Board

Sponsor Spotlight: Learning Supply and Demand in the King Soopers Market

Janet Redwine Young AmeriTowne Leave a Comment

There is one shop in Young AmeriTowne that sells a bigger variety of products than any other: the Market. Thanks to long-time supporter King Soopers, 5thgrade AmeriTowne customers who visit the Market experience supply and demand in action. Students first learn about supply and demand when they are at school.  Using a candy bar, teachers demonstrate that an increase in demand …