Achievement’ Teens Say “Being Happy” Is the American Dream (NAPSA)—Nearly half of American teens believe the American Dream is to be happy. That’s more than the number who think it involves owning a houseor their own business. That’s one of the key findings of a poll conducted in support of Job Shadow Day 2005. On February 2, 2005, over a million young people explored their futures when they “shadowed” workplace mentors as part of the eighth annual Groundhog Job Shadow Dayinitiative. According to the poll—sponsored by the Job Shadow Coalition and Harris Interactive—nearly half of teens surveyed (47 percent) defined the American Dream as “Simply Being Happy, No Matter What You Do.” Only one in five teens queried equated the American Dream with being rich or famous. Seven percent of those polled said the “dream” involved owning their own business. Other definitions of the American Dream included: “Having a house, cars and good job”(38 percent); “Having the career of my dreams” (27 percent) and “Being the Boss”(5 percent). Overall, nearly three in four teens (71 percent) believe the American Dream is achievable and most of those—nearly threein four—believe higher education is essential to achieve it. The Job Shadowingproject is a yearlong national effort to enrich the lives of students by acquainting them with the world of work through on-the-job experiences and a carefully crafted school cur- According to a recent poll, only one in five teens equate the American Dream with being rich or famous. riculum that ties academics to the workplace. National job shadowing is a coordinated effort of America’s Promise, Achievement(JA), the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor. ING is the nationaltitle sponsor of Job Shadow Day 2005. Nelnet and Valpak are co-sponsors. Last year, more than one mil- lion of America’s youth were able to experience more than 100,000 workplaces throughout the nation. For additional information, including a how-to guide, brochure, and an online training presentation on how to get involved with job shadowing, visit www.jobshadow.org. JA reaches 4 million students in the U.S. and another 2.5 million students in nearly 100 countries. For more information, visit wwwja.org or write JA Worldwide Headquarters, One Education Way, Colorado Springs, CO 80906. You can also contact the nearest JA office.
