Investing in the Future: Junior Achievement North

It’s never too early to get students thinking about their financial futures. 

According to national nonprofit Next Gen Personal Finance, fewer than 1 in 6 students in Minnesota are required to take a personal finance course. That’s why the Affinity Plus partnered with Junior Achievement North, a program that integrates financial education, career readiness, and entrepreneurial curriculum into students’ education. 

It’s important to equip students with these skills, so they’re better able to unlock their potential and enrich their lives. In 2024, Affinity Plus donated more than $45,000 to Junior Achievement North and its mission. The donation brought Junior Achievement’s curriculum to more than 40,000 students across the state.

Through our partnership with Junior Achievement North, we celebrated the second year of our Affinity Plus Foundation Philanthropy Center at Junior Achievement BizTown – an in-person experience that has students run and work in a simulated city called BizTown. This gives students the chance to discover careers, learn and build financial skills, collaborate with classmates, invest in the community, and more. Annually, the space serves more than 30,000 students from across the state.

Affinity Plus employees also volunteer with their local schools to bring their passion for financial education directly to the students. In total, Affinity Plus employees volunteered more than 150 hours educating more than 650 students across the state. It’s been a great exchange for everyone involved, and Affinity Plus is honored to have helped bring this partnership to life!