Enterprise Village Will Teach Kids a Thing or Two About Business

Thousands of San Diego’s fifth graders will soon get the chance to experience work in a simulated city full of San Diego businesses.

Junior Achievement of San Diego and Imperial counties has broken ground on Enterprise Village, a working city of retail stores and other businesses managed by students for students.

Come next spring, Enterprise Village should be bustling with a new set of employees and consumers each school day. About 12,000 area fifth-grade students will dress the part, act the part, and learn how to be a successful part of free enterprise in this program.

Joanne Pastula, president and chief executive officer of JA, said Enterprise Village gives fifth graders lessons to help them prepare for successful careers when they grow up.

“Junior Achievement is teaching kids how to earn a living, manage money and live the American dream,” Pastula said.

She stressed the importance of young students having the opportunity to “try on careers” and identify job possibilities while still in school.

With bankruptcy filings at an all-time high among 18- to 25-year-olds, students need to acquire knowledge and best practice principles early on, Pastula added.

“We need to get to every single kid to let them know how to make money, how to manage money, and how to work and be successful,” Pastula said.

Working Village

When completed, the village, located in Mission Valley, will feature a 10,000-square-foot replica of a typical village, complete with shops such as an accounting firm, bank, city hall, community arts center, manufacturing business, medical center, newspaper, nonprofit organization, real estate office, restaurant, retail shops, television station, telephone and utility company.

Pastula said the concept is an investment today to help prepare the business owners, citizens and civic leaders of tomorrow.

With a single donation, in addition to significant support from the organization’s board, JA purchased a 23,000-square-foot facility in Mission Valley, which serves as the site for its new headquarters plus the village.

Just last month, local dignitaries and donors, plus principals and students from the program’s 20 San Diego and Imperial counties pilot schools, gathered for the first look at the facility that will house the hands-on project.

Seven of the 20 businesses in the village now have sponsored individual stores. The sponsors are Cox Communications, Jack in the Box, San Diego Gas