Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas is releasing a free resource for teens titled Making Sense: Understanding the Financial Impact of COVID-19. The guide is designed to answer teens’ questions about the economic implications of COVID-19, including “Why are some store shelves empty?”, “Why are some people losing their jobs?” and “Are we going into a recession, or even a depression?” The guide is available at JA.org/MakingSense.

“While social distancing is essential to fighting COVID-19, the disease and the steps we must take to address it are having a financial impact. Our goal is to help young people better understand what’s happening,” said Joseph Burke, President of Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas. “April is Financial Literacy Month, and this is really an important time to be sharing this kind of information.”

The guide is written with middle school and high school students in mind. It uses relatable examples to explain what a recession is, how the Federal Reserve works and steps being taken by government and the private sector to deal with the economic impact associated with COVID-19. JA is also offering free resources to teachers and parents who may have students finishing school online this semester. Those resources are available at JA.org/Tomorrows.