YARS Airman volunteers to educate local students about economic success Published June 17, 2013 By Tech. Sgt. Valerie Smock 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs WARREN, Ohio -- It is important as a student to obtain as much information in school as possible. Classes generally consist of math, English, science and social studies. Some students are getting the opportunity to take their education one step further by learning about the world of economics to help prepare them for lifelong learning. Schools are able to give their students this education through a not-for-profit organization called Junior Achievement (JA). According to their website, JA uses hands-on experiences to help young people understand the economics of life. In partnership with businesses and educators, JA brings the real world to students, opening their minds to their potential. The unique part of the organization's approach is it allows volunteers from the community to deliver the curriculum at different schools, K-12, while sharing their own experiences. One of those volunteers at Warren Harding High School is a Youngstown Air Reserve Station Airman. "I just like working with the kids and just to try to share with them some experiences in my life and how I've achieved what I've achieved," said Tech. Sergeant Holliane Palcic, assigned to 910th Operations Support Squadron as Host Aviation Resource Management. "I never really realized how hard it is out there in the real world." The program lasts over a seven week period. Volunteers teach one class to cover a particular area. For ease, the syllabus and materials are provided. "My first time I was pretty scared and nervous, but it's not like you're coming up with everything yourself," said Palcic. "They provide you with what they want you to touch on. By the third class I had it down." During the seven weeks, Palcic said she taught classes on 16 successful skills for the workplace, communication, teamwork, resolve conflict in a workplace, problem solving in life, analyzing and assessing advertising and interviewing skills. "They include everything that you need," said Palcic. "We just get the kids involved. We'll do activities, play games and try to do team building. It's just a really great program. It gets the kids away from their curriculum a little bit and I think they like it. The teachers like it and it's just great for them to maybe just see it, not coming from a teacher or their parents." This was Palcic's first year volunteering but she said she would like to continue being a part of the program in the future. For more information about the JA Worldwide programs or to get involved, go online to www.ja.org.