Titan Up JA is whipping our youngsters into entrpreneurial shape.
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Do you have what it takes to guide your company to the top ofthe competitive CyberPen industry? That's the question posed tostudents 13 and older by the JA Titan interactive businesssimulation. A partnership between nonprofit economic educationalorganization Junior Achievement and Web media company Lycos hasbrought JA Titan online for all comers at www.jatitan.lycos.com.
This isn't a run-of-the-mill Internet game. Youngentrepreneurs-to-be head up their own fictional CyberPen company.There are company and industry reports to pore over, executives toconsult and production analyses and sales graphs to look at. JATitan consultant Andrew Bernstein boils down the program he helpedlaunch: "You, a kid, are a CEO and run your own virtualcompany and act as if it's on a quarterly basis. You makedecisions as if it were a publicly traded company."
Launched in February, JA Titan already boasts tens of thousandsof participants, students and adults alike. "It captivates[them]," Bernstein says, "They come up with strategiesand send messages to each other saying, 'I can't believeyou lost,' and 'Here's my performance index.' Itincreases the competitive side."
Competition among peers for prizes is only open to students, butthat doesn't stop grown-up BIZ Experiencess from trying theirhands at becoming titans of industry. Ask any JA Titan participant,no matter what age, about the program's tagline-"Who wantsto be the big cheese?"-and you'll hear a resounding"I do!"
