In this outstanding episode, the first of 2023, Nancy and Jose are joined in studio by Sidd Vivek, the President & CEO of Junior Achievement of San Diego County, a position he has held since January 2019. Sidd, a Boston native, leads an organization which works in very innovative ways to prepare our youth for economic independence and an entrepreneurial mindset. Sidd and the team he leads, along with its corporate partners and participating schools, are passionate about helping young people become fluent in a language called money!

And how does Junior Acheivement address financial literacy? By building innovative, immersive and engaging "mini-cities" for students to truly learn the world of work, jobs and careers, and economics. All supported by classroom curriculum. Whether it is 5th graders spending a day at the McGrath Family JA BizTown, the Mission Fed JA Finance Park, or families enrolling their children in Saturday programs or summer camps, Junior Achievement is having a real impact on financial fluency and an appreciation for career readiness, economics, money, and how money works!

An excellent episode on financial literacy with Sidd Vivek. Here are some other takeaways from the interview:

- Biz Town supports over 20,000 5th graders each year
- FinancePark is utilized by middle school and high school students
- They now offer a "direct-to-consumer" model for families wanting to enroll their children into JA programs if not available through school
- The importance of teaching how money actually works as so many do not understand the principles
- The answers to the Rapid Fire questions!

A truly fun and informative interview from an excellent financial literacy gap minder. Thank you, Sidd, for your contributions to helping prepare our youth for solid financial futures, and for joining us on The Gap Minders.

Enjoy this episode and be sure to subscribe to the show.

If you have any questions or want to contact Nancy or Jose, please send an email to podcast@uwsd.org. Thank you for listening.

To learn more about the two social impact organizations making The Gap Minders possible, please visit www.TheGapMinders.org.