JA Volunteer Spotlight: Rebecca Brown

How did it go today? This was your first time volunteering correct?

This was my first time and it was a wonderful experience. I took away a completely new appreciation for Junior Achievement and what you [the staff] do to coordinate and run that simulation — it was so impressive. The kids came in so excited, looking around in awe at their town. As you know, Comcast has a space in JA BizTown and I’ve been actively working on that project and it was great to witness our corporate talking points be so well received. The partner experience [between JA and Comcast] has been really rewarding.

And your daughter was here today! Did that make it extra special?

It did make it extra special to be here on a day that she was here! And she just happened to be stationed at Comcast playing her role as the CEO over there while I was helping kids run the market store across town. From time to time we would lock eyes and wave at each other. It was really fun to see her take some new challenges — she had a speaking opportunity in the beginning so I was able to see her practice public speaking.

How would you describe the energy in the room?

There was definitely a nervous-yet-excited energy in the room, like “this is so cool” but also “oh man, we have to do big people jobs and there are responsibilities”. There was a lot of joy because they were able to see their friends and interact but also a little bit of anxiety because they wanted to do a good job, so you just feel this range of emotion in the room throughout the day. It definitely helped us [as volunteers] get amped up and remain on our toes.

Was there a memorable moment?

So I helped facilitate operations at the market in JA BizTown today and there was one kid that was the ‘sales manager’, so not the CEO or CFO, but he was just so ready to take on responsibility and was continuously assessing the situation to see if there was any extra way that he could pitch in. He kept stepping in for his teammates when they were struggling and he kept things moving; he was such an asset to the teamwork there. It was wonderful to see him blossom as a leader. I mean I don’t know if he was able to fully recognize that he was displaying leadership qualities but it was really neat for me to be able to observe this young person rise to every occasion.

To segway from that, what do you think are the top three skills that most kids will take away from today?

Well the first and perhaps most obvious takeaway is that adulthood is hard. Kids generally glamourize the autonomy with which grown ups get to live their lives and this experience gives them a taste of the real world and how it functions. Secondly, they will take away something about teamwork. It’s not a one-person show and everybody’s role means something within an organization. Like it’s not just about the C-level executive, it’s about the customer service representative too, and it takes everyone working together to make a business a success. Third, I hope that they take away a sense of pride and accomplishment — they managed to do so much in only one day! One kid said it was the best school day ever.

Do you think that learning the importance of community and cooperation first-hand, and at a age when one is most fearlessly curious, will create future generations that are more egalitarian, empathetic, and socially conscious?

I want to say that, I really hope so. I think it gives kids a snippet of “real-world” experience, so they start to consider what they can do socioeconomically to improve their lives and the lives of others. I know that our societies put a lot of emphasis on titles but even now I’m hearing and seeing business leadership discuss changes in work culture. There is already a shift occurring in how we consider livable wages and how contributions are valued across organizations. I personally love how Comcast always looks inward to innovate and invites everyone to contribute to ideas. I also have to mention that I really appreciated the awesome amount of diversity represented amongst the kids that had the opportunity to play the part of CFOs and CEOs today at JA BizTown. I think there are moments that make a deep and lasting impression on us cognitively that we aren’t able pinpoint right away. Overall, it was a special experience for everyone involved.

Interview by Andrea Vidovic
Previously published on Medium.com