Career and Kids

Exchange City

by elizabeth on January 6th, 2007

As parents, one of our responsibilities is to help our children prepare for their future roles in the work-place, and, as a citizen. My older children are fortunate enough to have attended Exchange City, a city built for kids and run by kids.

It is a hands-on learning experience with a classroom curriculum and a 2 day interactive experience where the participants (5th graders, around these parts) build and run a life-sized replica of a city.

The kids start out an 8 week program in the classroom learning economic principles such as wants and needs, supply and demand, and, goods and services. Then, they move onto citizen specific instruction where they learn to write laws to govern a city, discuss how to use a checkbook, how to write resumes and business letters, understand paychecks and taxes, etc.

Next, they write their resumes, and, decide what jobs they’d like to apply for, and, they are interviewed by the teachers at school. The mayoral and judicial positions have campaigns and elections. Once they are offered positions, each business meets to put together a business plan, and, a budget which includes filling out a loan application. Each business also has a boss and a business manager.

The goal on the actual visit days to Exchange City is to get your business or service up and running, but, first you have to get a loan from the bank, and, order supplies (office supplies, food) at the Service Center. The “boss” at each business must manage their personnel, provide meals and breaks as well as supervise the business practices. The goal is to make enough money to repay your loan, and, hopefully, make a profit.

Citizens get paid twice a day with a paycheck they must deposit at the bank, and, they write checks for such things as shopping the stores, mailing letters, or, requesting a song on the radio. They are required to keep a balanced checkbook, and, cash a certain percentage of their paychecks.

The simulation is amazing, it is a real city. For example, the Snack Bar fixes and sells actual food, the Post Office processes and delivers mail, there is a working radio station, and, the bank has tellers, computers and a manager. The police department enforces the laws that the citizens agreed upon before their arrival, the newspaper writes, edits and distributes a paper at the end of the day, and, there’s even a health clinic.

Students gain work-force readiness, financial management skills, and, they learn about the free enterprise system. It really is amazing that they learn in 2 days what some adults in the work-force haven’t learned yet.

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POSTED IN: Preparing Kids For Careers