AmeriTowne prepares Denver students for future success

DENVER - April 3, 2017 - PRLog -- Imagine a group of young students sitting completely captivated—not by their smart phones or a YouTube video, but by a speech from their 10-year-old Mayor and Judge.  Teachers, parents and staff watch as 30 usually restless bodies sit motionless in Towne Square and 60 usually wandering pairs of eyes remain completely focused.  This is Young AmeriTowne!

A program of Young Americans Center for Financial Education, Young AmeriTowne has been captivating 5^th grade students since 1990.  After completing a six-week curriculum at school, their studies culminate in a four-hour Towne experience where students open a bank account, deposit a paycheck and work for wages in a shop.  According to Stephanie Snitselaar, a teacher from Durango, "AmeriTowne ignited an enthusiasm for real-life skills that my students hadn't been exposed to within their regular classroom setting.  Students were excited to challenge themselves, and scarcely realized they were learning."

This April, in conjunction with financial literacy month, Young Americans is operating four versions of AmeriTowne in the Denver Metro area to meet increasing demand.  Besides the permanent locations in Denver and Lakewood, the portable AmeriTowne On the Road program will cater to smaller groups of students in Denver and Aurora.

This is great news for programs like the Compass After School Program, the first group visiting KeyBank-supported AmeriTowne On the Road in Denver.  With only 30 students, the group is too small to run the traditional AmeriTowne program, making On the Road a perfect fit.  Jose, the Young AmeriTowne Judge is thrilled to attend, but realizes it is a lot of work.  "If anyone does something bad, the police bring them to me and I have to decide if they are innocent or guilty."  That's a lot of responsibility for a 10-year-old.

"Our founder, Bill Daniels, believed that the best kind of learning results from experience," says Rich Martinez, President and CEO of Young Americans.  "Our generous partners have ensured that over 4,800 students will experience free enterprise, civics, personal finance, and workforce readiness in a fun, hands-on way this month alone."

About Young Americans Center

Young Americans Center for Financial Education is a nonprofit organization committed to developing the financial literacy of young people, up to age 22, through real life experiences and hands-on programs. The Center fulfills its mission by offering programs that complement and reinforce each other to build life skills, work skills and financial self-sufficiency. These include Young AmeriTowne, International Towne, YouthBiz, Money Matters classes, summer camps, and more. In addition, Young Americans Center houses the only real bank in the world for young people, Young Americans Bank, which shares the same educational mission of teaching children to be financially responsible. Since 1987, more than 600,000 youth have participated in the programs or bank. For more information on the Young Americans Center for Financial Education, visit https://yacenter.org.