Junior Achievement

Last updated
JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide
Founded1919;105 years ago (1919)
Founders Theodore Vail
Horace A. Moses
Winthrop M. Crane
Type International NGO
Legal status 501c3
Focus
  • Prepare youth for employment and entrepreneurship
  • Mission: To inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy
Location
Area served
More than 110 countries
Website https://jaworldwide.org/

JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide is a global non-profit youth organization. It was founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and Winthrop M. Crane. JA works with local businesses, schools, and organizations to deliver experiential learning programs in the areas of work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship to students. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

History

The Boys' and Girls' Bureau of the Eastern States was founded in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1919 as a spinoff of the Eastern States Exposition, to help educate young people moving from rural areas to the cities about the means of production and free enterprise. The following year, the organization's name was changed to the Junior Achievement Bureau. The name was modified again in 1926 to Junior Achievement, Inc. [6]

Following World War II, the organization grew from a regional into a national organization. [7] In the 1960s, JA began its growth into an international organization. [7]

Beginning in 1944, Junior Achievement organized an annual national conference, known as the National Junior Achievers Conference, NAJAC, to bring together student representatives of local programs to participate in contests. In 1949, the organization began allowing conference delegates to elect national leadership to play an active role contributing to program development, increasing public awareness and supporting fundraising. [6]

In 1975, Junior Achievement introduced its first in-school program, Project Business, to help volunteers teach local middle school students about business and personal finance. [7]

JA educates 12 million students in more than 100 countries around the world. Programs are delivered by 450,000 JA volunteers. [8]

JA Worldwide has six regional offices: JA Africa, JA Americas, JA Asia Pacific, JA Europe, JA Middle East and Africa (INJAZ Al-Arab), together with its American headquarters, Junior Achievement USA. [8]

Notable alumni

Notable JA alumni include former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, U.S. Congressman Bob Clement, Subway restaurant founder Fred DeLuca, American actor Arte Johnson, journalist Dan Rather, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, comedian Amy Sedaris, and British Labour Party Politician David Lammy. [9] [10] [11]

Notable Canadian JA alumni include entrepreneur and television personality Manjit Minhas (Alberta), [12] marketing executive Jennifer Wilnechenko (British Columbia), [13] executive director of The DMZ at Ryerson University Abdullah Snobar (Ontario), [14] and young philanthropist Ben Sabic (Manitoba). [15]

In fiction

The July 1962 issue of Analog Science Fact & Fiction published a short story by William M. Lee called "Junior Achievement", about a JA group consisting of genius children who invent and sell products beyond the comprehension of their adult leader. [16]

Leadership

From its founding in 1919 until 1962, JA was managed by volunteers from the business community. In 1962, the organization hired its first, full-time, paid president. [6]

Notable Board Chairs have included:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of California, Los Angeles</span> Public research university in California, U.S.

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the California State Normal School which later evolved into San José State University. The branch was transferred to the University of California to become the Southern Branch of the University of California in 1919, making it the second-oldest of the ten-campus University of California system after the University of California, Berkeley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Technological University</span> Public university in Houghton, Michigan, U.S.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, United States, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in Canada</span> Formal schooling in Canada, a North American country

Education in Canada is for the most part provided publicly, funded and overseen by federal, provincial, and local governments. Education is within provincial jurisdiction and the curriculum is overseen by the province. Education in Canada is generally divided into primary education, followed by secondary education and post-secondary. Education in both English and French is available in most places across Canada. Canada has a large number of universities, almost all of which are publicly funded. Established in 1663, Université Laval is the oldest post-secondary institution in Canada. The largest university is the University of Toronto with over 85,000 students. Four universities are regularly ranked among the top 100 world-wide, namely University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, McGill University, and McMaster University, with a total of 18 universities ranked in the top 500 worldwide.

The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills. Via the program, competitively-selected American citizens including students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists, and artists may receive scholarships or grants to study, conduct research, teach, or exercise their talents abroad; and citizens of other countries may qualify to do the same in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copenhagen Business School</span> Business school

Copenhagen Business School often abbreviated and referred to as CBS, is a public university situated in Copenhagen, Denmark and is considered one of the most prestigious business schools in Western Europe and the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horace Mann School</span> Private school in The Bronx, New York, United States

Horace Mann School is a private, independent college-preparatory school in the Bronx, founded in 1887. Horace Mann is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League, educating students from the New York metropolitan area from nursery school to the twelfth grade. The Upper, Middle, and Lower Divisions are located in Riverdale, a neighborhood of the Bronx, while the Nursery School is located in Manhattan. The John Dorr Nature Laboratory, a 275 acres (111 ha) campus in Washington Depot, Connecticut, serves as the school's outdoor and community education center. Tuition for the 2023–24 school year from pre-kindergarten through grade twelve is $61,900 per annum, not including some additional fees, one of which exceeds $1,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Christian University</span> University in Tokyo

International Christian University is a non-denominational private university located in Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan, commonly known as ICU. With the efforts of Prince Takamatsu, General Douglas MacArthur, and BOJ President Hisato Ichimada, ICU was established in 1949 as the first liberal arts college in Japan. Currently the university offers 31 undergraduate majors and a graduate school. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology selected ICU as one of the 37 schools for The Top Global University Project in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beta Gamma Sigma</span> International business honor society

Beta Gamma Sigma (ΒΓΣ) is an international business honor society. Founded in 1913 at the University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois and the University of California, it has over 980,000 members, selected from more than 600 collegiate chapters in business schools accredited by AACSB International. It has collegiate chapters in over 190 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Decker</span> American businesswoman (born 1962)

Susan Lynne Decker is an American businesswoman. She was president of Yahoo! Inc in 2007 and 2008, leading the operations of the company while Jerry Yang was chief executive officer. In 2017, Decker co-founded a social networking platform called Raftr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Muzyka</span> Canadian investor, entrepreneur and physician

Raymond Alexander Muzyka is a Canadian investor, entrepreneur and physician. Originally trained as a medical doctor and practicing as an emergency department and family physician after graduation, he is the co-founder of video game developer BioWare, and was CEO, senior vice president, and general manager of the BioWare label of Electronic Arts. In October 2012 he announced that he was embarking on a 'third career' mentoring and angel investing in technology, new media, medical and social entrepreneurs, and impact investing at ThresholdImpact.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Association of Former Students</span>

The Association of Former Students is the official alumni association of Texas A&M University and operates as a 501 (c)(3) organization. The association recognizes over 640,000 people as part of the Aggie Network and oversees 251 clubs worldwide. Known to Aggies as simply The Association, the group is dedicated to promoting the interests and welfare of Texas A&M University, perpetuating ties of affection and esteem that students formed during their college days, and serving the current student body.

The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) is a non-profit organization promoting international education and exchange. It was founded in 1947 and is based in the United States. The organization is headquartered in Portland, Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institut supérieur du commerce de Paris</span>

The Institut Supérieur du Commerce, a business school located in Paris, is a French university-level institution. Its programs consist of a core degree, a bachelor's program offering six different specializations, a Master's degree in management according to the Bologna European higher education standards, and a MBA program offering sixteen different specializations. These courses are available both on a part-time and full-time basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pioneers, a Volunteer Network</span> Nonprofit charitable organization

Pioneers, a Volunteer Network, founded and more commonly known as the Telephone Pioneers of America, is a non-profit charitable organization based in Denver, Colorado in the United States. The association was organized in Boston in November 1911 by 246 pioneers active in the early days of telephony, including Alexander Graham Bell who received membership card No. 1. The first elected president was Theodore N. Vail, president of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Johnson Colvin</span>

Ruth Johnson Colvin is the founder of the non-profit organization Literacy Volunteers of America, now called ProLiteracy Worldwide in Syracuse, New York, in 1962. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in December 2006. She turned 100 in December 2016.

Junior Achievement (JA) was founded in 1919 by Theodore Vail, president of American Telephone & Telegraph; Horace Moses, president of Strathmore Paper Co. and Senator Murray Crane of Massachusetts. Its first program, The Company Program, was offered to high school students on an after-school basis. In 1975, the organization entered the classroom with the introduction of Project Business for the middle grades. Since then, Junior Achievement has gradually expanded its activities and broadened its scope to encompass an ever-widening student population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horace A. Moses</span>

Horace Augustus Moses (1863-1947) was a prominent industrialist and profound social engineer who founded Mittineague Paper Company in West Springfield, Massachusetts, which later became Strathmore Paper Company. He is also noted for his involvement in forming Junior Achievement and for property transactions with the Boy Scouts of America. Moses was also an active member of the board at Green Mountain Junior College. Moses Hall, on the campus of Green Mountain College is named for Mr. Moses, whose donations helped build the hall in 1912, and keep it up for many years after his death.

INJAZ Al-Arab is a non-profit organization for education and training in workforce readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship across the Arab World. INJAZ Al-Arab is the Regional Operating Center of JA Worldwide (JAW), one of the largest global non-governmental organizations dedicated to addressing fundamental social and economic challenges faced by young people. INJAZ Al-Arab is also an active participant in the United Nations Global Compact. Over 6 million students have participated in a broad base of entrepreneurship training opportunities aimed at developing basic business skills to start and run their own businesses while obtaining soft skills increasingly demanded by the private sector. Since its inception, INJAZ Al-Arab has built a network of over 100,000 classroom volunteers, who are leaders from the corporate world. INJAZ Al-Arab has a Regional Board of Directors, which comprises 15 executives, as well as a team of staff, led by Akef Aqrabawi, President and CEO of the Middle East/North Africa for JA Worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manjit Minhas</span> Canadian entrepreneur and television personality

Manjit Minhas is a Canadian entrepreneur, television personality and venture capitalist. She is co-owner of Minhas Breweries & Distillery, manufacturer of beer brands such as Mountain Crest Classic Lager, Boxer Lager, Lazy Mutt Ale and Huber Bock. She specializes in marketing with interests in branding and sales. Minhas was announced as one of the new dragons on Season 10 of the Canadian reality television series Dragons' Den in 2015 for its tenth season. According to the Dragons Den website she has "been recognized for several business industry awards such as PROFIT magazine's "Top Growth Entrepreneur", Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs in Canada, Canada's Top 40 under 40, Chatelaine Magazine's "Top Entrepreneur Woman of The Year 2011", Ernst and Young's Entrepreneur of The Year Prairie Region and The Sikh Centennial Foundation Award 2015." Minhas's philanthropic causes include The United Way, which she co-chaired in 2017 and an engineering school for girls in India. Minhas joined the ATB Financial Board of Directors in 2017 and is on both the Governance and Conduct Review, and the Human Resources Committees. She joined the Calgary Airport Authority Board of Directors in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Potter</span> Canadian ice hockey administrator

Arthur Thomas Potter was a Canadian ice hockey administrator. He was president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) from 1962 to 1964, and oversaw the establishment of a permanent Canada men's national ice hockey team after he decided that sending the reigning Allan Cup champion to international competitions was no longer the answer. He felt that Canada needed discipline to handle Cold War tactics and propaganda at the Ice Hockey World Championships, sought to give its best players to develop as a team, and supported a plan by Father David Bauer to assemble a team of amateur student athletes to complete at the 1964 Winter Olympics.

References

  1. Daley, Suzanne (28 November 1990). "New World for Junior Achievement". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  2. Singer, Penny (18 May 1997). "For Junior Achievers, Volunteers Are Key". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  3. Heath, Thomas (13 May 2012). "Value Added: This English major prefers the language of money". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  4. Duchon, Dennis; Green, Stephen G.; Taber, Thomas D. (1 January 1986). "Vertical dyad linkage: A longitudinal assessment of antecedents, measures, and consequences". Journal of Applied Psychology. 71 (1): 56–60. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.71.1.56.
  5. Wagner, Jodie (16 November 2012). "Junior Achievement program teaches Jupiter students life skills". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on 19 September 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 "Junior Achievement Records, 1916-2002, Ruth Lilly Special Collections & Archives". Indiana University. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 Francomano, Joe (1988). Junior Achievement: A History. Colorado Springs, CO: Junior Achievement Inc.
  8. 1 2 "JA Worldwide Locations" . Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  9. "Junior Achievement 100" . Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  10. "Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee" . Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  11. "Junior Achievement Looking to Re-Connect with Former Students" (Press release). Junior Achievement. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  12. "Alumni of Influence Award". JA Southern Alberta. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  13. "About JA Alumni BC". JA Alumni British Columbia. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  14. "JA Central Ontario Governors' Dinner (2018) - JA Alumni Panel". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  15. "2009-2010 Annual Report" (PDF). Junior Achievement of Manitoba. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  16. William M. Lee (July 1962). "Junior Achievement". Analog Science Fact & Fiction . Re-published by Project Gutenberg.