Junior Achievement

Boys' and Girls' Bureau of the Eastern States League was founded in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1919 to help educate young people moving from rural America to the country's booming 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 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]

For more than 50 years, the organization was known mostly for the JA Company Program, an after-school program through which students form companies, sell stocks, produce and market a product, and sell it in their communities and globally. The student companies are mentored by volunteer advisers from business and tech communities. In 1975, Junior Achievement introduced its first in-school program, Project Business, featuring volunteers from the local business community teaching middle school students about business and personal finance.[7]

Today, JA Worldwide is one of the world's largest youth-serving organizations, dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need for employment and entrepreneurship. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. JA annually reaches more than 12 million students in more than 100 countries around the world. Programs are delivered by more than 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), Junior Achievement USA.[8]

JA organizations around the world go by a variety of names, including Young Enterprise in the UK, INJAZ in the Middle East, Prestasi Junior in Indonesia, Vlajo in Belgium, and more.

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 Labor 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]

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:

• 1919–1920: Theodore N. Vail, AT&T
• 1920–1942: Horace A. Moses, Strathmore Paper
• 1942–1944: Charles R. Hook, Armco Steel
• 1970–1971: John D. deButts, AT&T
• 1977–1979: Frank T. Cary, IBM
• 1979–1981: David T. Kearns, Xerox
• 1983–1985: John A. Young, Hewlett-Packard Co.
• 1987–1989: Lodwrick M. Cook, ARCO
• 2003–2006: Samuel DiPiazza, CEO, PwC; Juan Cintron, President, Consultores Internacionales (co-chairs)
• 2011–2015: Ralph de la Vega, President & CEO, AT&T Mobility

• JA Worldwide
• Junior Achievement USA